DRUGS STRATEGY FOR ABERDEEN CITY

Drugs education is seen by Aberdeen City Council as an extremelyimportant issue within  both a city and a national context.  Work within schooland Community Education contexts on drug-related issues in Aberdeen is currently coveredby the following policies and guidelines

• Staff Guidelines for work with drug users in the community - approved by Grampian Regional Council Community Education Sub-committee
• Policy on Drug-related incidents in schools - approved by Grampian Regional Council Education Committee
• Policy and Handbook on Guidance in secondary schools (including guidelines on Personal and Social Education) - approved by Grampian Regional Council Education Committee
• Health Education Policy - approved by Grampian Regional Council Education Committee

In considering drugs education and prevention, the Education Departmenthas taken account of the work of two important coordinating groups:

• The Drugs Strategy Task Group (Aberdeen City Council)
• The Aberdeen City Drugs Action Team (city-wide inter-agency group)

Aberdeen City Council expressed an early commitment to tackling drugsissues by establishing a Drugs Strategy Task Group, on which the Education Department wasrepresented.  On 27 March 1997, The Community Development Committee approved a DrugsStrategy Framework which calls on the Education Department in common with all othercouncil departments to identify their contributions to the overall council drugs strategy.

The Drugs Strategy Framework outlines five main development areas forthe Council:

• drug education
• targeting young people at high risk
• community development
• liaison and co-ordination
• staff support and training

A Drugs Strategy Reference Group brings staff from Council departmentstogether to improve cross-departmental communication and co-operation and to assist inmonitoring the drugs strategy.  An Education Adviser and a Community Education TeamLeader take part in this group.

The Aberdeen City Drug Action Team (DAT) comprises representatives ofelected members of Aberdeen City Council, of the departments of Aberdeen City Council,Grampian Health Board and the agencies in Aberdeen which are concerned with drugseducation, drug use and drug abuse.  The purpose of the Aberdeen City Drug ActionTeam is to lead and coordinate the prevention and reduction of drug misuse and its harmfulaffects on the people of Aberdeen.  Representatives of the Education Department havecontributed comprehensively to the work of the Drug Action Team.

The Aberdeen City Drug Action Team has drawn up Strategy1998-2001 , which is the basis for action within the city.

The City Council's Drugs Strategy Framework and the DrugsAction Team's Strategy 1998-2001 are complementary documents which havesimilar implications for the Education Department.

WHAT SCHOOLS DO AT PRESENT

Drugs education in Aberdeen City schools is part of an overall programmeof Personal and Social Education (PSE), which includes activities concerned withself-esteem and self-awareness, qualities and skills for personal and social development,decision-making, health education and drugs education.

All schools have a PSE programme based on the needs of young people atdifferent stages of their development.  The authority has a well-documenteddevelopmental approach to PSE clearly described in the guidance policy and handbook forsecondary schools, the principles of which are equally applicable to primaryschools.  Schools use various materials for drugs education which have been producedor recommended specifically for Scottish schools.

While there may be differences of detail among different schools’programmes, they are all based on the principles of progression related to personaldevelopment as applied to the needs of pupils in each school.  Many topics arerevisited at different times in young people's education in ways that are appropriate totheir level of maturity.

In addition to elements of a PSE programme which specifically mentiondrugs, much of what is done in PSE on attitude and skills development relates to drugseducation.

WHAT COMMUNITY EDUCATION DOES AT PRESENT

Community Education, through its Youth Work programme, carries outpreventative work with non-drug users through informal education programmes encompassinggroup work and some peer education initiatives.  A key focus of the general youthwork programme is personal development in areas such as self-esteem and decision-makingskills.

Community Education employs a harm minimisation approach with drug usersincluding the provision of information, advice and referral to specific agencies. There is some detached work and diversionary activities, advocacy and counselling atvarying levels across the city.

Work with adults includes drugs awareness work with parents, thedevelopment of parent support groups (non-drug specific) and drugs awareness training forlocal activists.

Community Education undertake a key role in educationalsupport for community development - developing the knowledge and confidence of communitiesto respond to drugs issues and providing community development support to community-basedinitiatives by adults and young people.
 

  This page was last updated on 03 November 2005 16:53 -0000