1. Purpose
The aim of drug education is to enable learners to make healthy and informed choices. A further aim of the drugs policy is to acknowledge and clarify Hull Training and Adult Education role in drug awareness and drug education and ensure it is appropriate to learners’ needs. The policy will provide information about procedures in response to any drug-related incident and provide guidance to tutors, support staff and outside visitors.
Hull Training and Adult Education is aware that a drugs education policy should ensure that there is a whole training centre approach on the issue of drugs as part of the commitment to being a healthy Service.
Tutors and staff need to be confident and skilled to teach drug education and learners, who are concerned about drugs, need to be supported.
The policy aims to have clear procedures for responding to drug-related incidents. Sanctions for incidents should be consistent with those of the Hull Training and Adult Education Behaviour Policy and Disciplinary Procedure, Safeguarding policies, Health and Safety policy and staff Codes of Conduct.
Hull Training and Adult Education aims to offer a high standard of learning, which will transform the life chances of learners and make a positive contribution to the wellbeing of the local community and wider world.
All young people and adults need to be able to make safe, healthy and responsible decisions about drugs, both legal and illegal. Drugs and alcohol can impact on their education, their relationships with family and friends and prevent them from reaching their full potential. We aim to create a safe and supportive learning environment and ensuring that those for whom drugs are a concern receive appropriate support.
Hull Training and Adult Education is guided by the under 19’s Drug and Alcohol Strategy in Hull. This policy is intended for Staff at Hull Training and Adult Education (Hull Training and Adult Education).
2. Scope
This policy is intended to provide ease of reference for all Service staff involved in the management of substance education, the management of substances within the centres and supporting the needs of learners with regard to substance and substance policy development.It is relevant to all staff, and those responsible for co-ordinating and teaching substance education. All staff within Hull Training and Adult Education has an important role to play in the delivery of the Government’s strategies on substances.
All staff have a key role in providing pastoral support to all learners and identifying vulnerable learners so that those who need extra help receive it, in the centres or through referral to other services.
3. Definitions
Drugs may be defined as any chemical substance that brings about a change in a person’s emotional state, body functioning or behaviour. Caffeine, alcohol, tobacco and medicines, solvents and illegal drugs are all contained within the spectrum of substances known as drugs.
For the purposes of this document the term” drugs” will be used to describe substances which interfere with a learner’s ability to learn, are potentially harmful, or are capable of misuse, including some whose possession is illegal.
The following categories of drugs are likely to cause most concern -
- Drugs which interfere with a learner’s ability to study for example alcohol, magic mushrooms and solvents
- Illegal /legal Highs
- Drugs which are used but which have potentially harmful effects on a learner’s health, for example tobacco
- Drugs which are illegal, for example cannabis, amphetamines, ecstasy and LSD
- Drugs which are misused in sport to enhance performance, for example analgesics and steroids
Drugs can include those that are legal, such as alcohol, tobacco and solvents purchased over the counter, prescribed drugs and illegal drugs such as cannabis, ecstasy, heroin, crack/cocaine and LSD.
Defining the terms
Drug
The term "drug" is used to refer to any psychotropic substance, including illegal substances, illicit prescription drugs and volatile substances (e.g., solvents).
Substance
Young people’s drug use is often linked together with alcohol use. Drugs and alcohol together collectively termed “substances".
Drug use
The consumption of a drug by a young person. When the term “use” is contrasted with “misuse, “use” means the consumption of a drug that does not cause any perceptible immediate harm-even though it may carry some risk of harm.
Drug misuse
Use of a drug or combination of substances, that harms health or social functioning - either dependent use (physical or psychological) or use that is part of a wider spectrum of problematic or harmful behaviour.
Vulnerable group: Young people are at increased risk of drug misuse if they belong to certain groups and this risk increases if there is membership of more than one group.
Protective factors
Increase a young person’s resilience to the development of drug misuse problems.
Risk factors
Increase the likelihood that drug misuse will occur.
Hull Training and Adult Education believes that the possession and use of substances on the premises or during the training day is unacceptable. All the drugs covered in this policy are not permitted to be brought, sold or otherwise obtained on Hull Training and Adult Education premises or during the Hull Training and Adult Education workday, including when learners are out on placement or visits. This also applies to all learners, staff and visitors working at and for Hull Training and Adult Education.
4. Substance Education
Hull Training and Adult Education provides a planned drug education curriculum as part of personal development that reflects knowledge and understanding, attitudes and personal and social skills.
Substance education will -
- Enable learners to make healthy, informed choices by increasing knowledge, exploring their own and other people’s attitudes, and developing and practising skills
- Promote positive attitudes towards healthy lifestyles
- Provide accurate information about substances
- Increase understanding about the implications and possible consequences of use and misuse
- Encourage an understanding for those experiencing or likely to experience substance use
- Widen understanding about related health and social issues, e.g., sex and sexuality, crime, HIV and AIDS
- Seek to minimise the risk that users and potential users face
- Enable young people to identify sources of appropriate personal support
All staff should be aware of Hull Training and Adult Education substance policy. All staff will have access to on- going support and training as part of their own professional development and teaching materials will be reviewed for quality and relevance.
Substance education will -
- Be delivered in a clear and open manner that informs without encouraging drug misuse
- Encourage active learner participation
- Be provided at regular intervals throughout the training year
- Be provided by tutors with support from other professionals as appropriate, who have had relevant training, using advice and support from other agencies
- Be monitored, evaluated and regularly reviewed to inform further practice
- Be backed up with access to advice, counselling or help for young people and their families with problems or concerns.
In instances involving substance misuse or supply on the premises, and following discussion between the relevant manager, staff members who know the learners well and the learner support team, parents will be informed at the earliest opportunity (see notes regarding informing parents/carers) by the designated person, usually the Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL) for those under 18 years of age.
Outside agencies may be contacted for advice on the best approach and Hull Training and Adult Education and parents/carers can then work together to support the young person involved.
If a young person admits to using or supplying substances off the premises, the tutor’s/member of staff will inform the DSL/DDSL/SENDCO External advice will then be sought.
The DSL should inform the relevant external agencies and take advice and discuss the issue about informing the parents.
There is no legal obligation to inform the police, though they may be able to give relevant support and advice. However, it should be noted that an education provider cannot knowingly allow its premises to be used for the production, supply or use of any controlled drug. Where it is suspected that substances are continuing to be sold on the premises, details regarding those involved and as much information as possible, will be passed to the Police.
Hull Training and Adult Education will consider each substance incident individually and recognise that a variety of responses will be necessary to deal with incidents. Hull Training and Adult Education will consider very carefully the implications of any action it may take; it seeks to balance the interest of the learner involved, the other Hull Training and Adult Education members and the local community. Permanent exclusion may be warranted as a final sanction when all other reasonable steps have been taken.
Communications and Marketing will take responsibility for liaison with the media, where required. As the issue of drug misuse is an emotive one and is likely to generate interest from the local and national media, HTEA will take appropriate advice and guidance from Hull City Council to ensure that any reporting of incidents remains in the best interests of the young people, their families and the Service.
Hull Training and Adult Education actively co-operates with other agencies such as community police, social services, the Local Authority and health and drug agencies to deliver its commitment to drugs education.
5. Procedure
The Aims of these procedures are to -
- Maintain the ethos of Hull Training and Adult Education
- Uphold the agreed Behaviour Policy and Disciplinary Procedure
- Reduce situations of risk for the majority
- Deter future occurrences
- Meet the needs of the offending learner and his or her family
6. Practice
Hull Training and Adult Education should be vigilant in checking premises and grounds for health and safety hazards including signs of any discarded equipment which may be drug related. If needles are found the Local Authority procedure must be followed.
The suspected drug and any associated equipment, except needles, will be removed/confiscated by an appropriate member of staff (with gloves and in the presence of a witness if possible). Any suspicious substances or equipment should be placed as soon as possible in a tamper proof plastic bag. Staff involved will record the sequence of events and people involved should be kept to a minimum. It is important that there is the minimum of handling and delay in securing what may become future evidence. Articles should be put in a place of safety.
The law permits Service staff to take temporary possession of a substance suspected of being an illegal drug for the purpose of preventing an offence from being committed or continued in relation to that drug providing that all reasonable steps are taken to destroy the drug or deliver it to a person lawfully entitled to take custody of it.
In taking temporary possession and disposing of suspected illegal drugs Hull Training and Adult Education is advised to -
- Ensure that a second adult witness is present throughout
- Seal the sample in a plastic bag and include details of the date and time of removal and any witness present. Some police forces provide Services with drug bags for this purpose
- Store it in a secure location, such as the safe or other lockable container with access limited to senior members of staff
- Without delay notify the police, who will collect it and then store or dispose of it in line with local agreed protocols. The law does not require a Service to divulge to the police the name of the learner from whom the drugs were taken. Where a learner is identified the police will be required to follow set internal procedures
- Record full details of incident, including the police incident reference number
- Inform parents/carers, unless this would jeopardise the safety of the learner
Informing parents/carers
In any incident involving illegal and other unauthorised drugs with young people providers are normally advised to involve the learner’s parents/carers and explain how the Service intends to respond to the incident and to the learner’s needs. Where the Service suspects that to do this might put the learner’s safety at risk or if there is any other cause for concern for the learner’s safety at home, Hull Training and Adult Education should exercise caution when considering involving parents/carers. In any situation where a learner may need protection from the possibility of abuse, Hull Training and Adult Education DSL should be consulted, and local child protection procedures followed.
Personal searches
When a person is suspected of concealing illegal or other unauthorised drugs it is not appropriate for a member of staff to carry out a personal search; this includes the searching of outer clothing and inside pockets. Every effort should be to persuade the person to hand over voluntarily any drugs, in the presence of a second adult witness. Where the individual refuses and the drug is believed to be illegal, and the centre wishes to proceed along formal lines, then the police must be called. Services are not allowed to detain a person without consent.
Possible Signs and Symptoms of Substance Misuse
The signs listed may indicate that individuals or groups of young people are misusing drugs. Their presence alone is not conclusive proof of drug or solvent misuse; many of them are a normal part of adolescence but the presence several signs together may point to a need for greater vigilance.
Behaviour
- Sudden and regular changes of mood, irritability
- Unusually aggressive or restless
- Gradual loss of interest in course work, friends, hobbies etc
- Increased evidence of lying or other furtive behaviour
- Loss of money or other objects from the house, or at Hull Training or Adult Education Centres
- Keeping at a distance from other learners and away from points of supervision
- Being the subject of rumours about drug taking
- Talking to strangers on or near the premises
- Stealing, which appears to be the work of several individuals rather than one person
- Use of drug takers’ slang
- Exchanging money or other objects in unusual circumstances
- Associating briefly with one person who is much older and not normally part of the peer group
- Secretiveness about leisure time activities
- Regular absence on certain days
Physical Symptoms
- Loss of appetite
- Uncharacteristically drowsy or sleepy
- Unusual stains, marks or smells on the body or clothes or around the house/centre
- No interest in physical appearance
- Sores or rashes specially on the mouth or nose
- Heavy use of scents, colognes etc to disguise the smell of drugs
- Drunken behaviour
- Frequent and persistent aches, sore throat or running nose (whatever the reason, a visit to the GP would be wise)
Equipment which may be used
- Scorched pieces of tin foil
- A home-made pipe
- The remains of cannabis cigarette with a small cardboard tube filter
- Sunglasses worn at inappropriate times
- Foil containers or cup shapes made from silver foil - perhaps discoloured by heat
- Pill boxes
- Plastic, cellophane or metal foil wrappers
- Small plastic or glass phials or bottles
- Twists of paper
- Straws
- Sugar lumps
- Syringes or needles
- Cigarette papers and lighters
- Spent matches
- Plastic bags or butane gas containers (solvent abuse)
- Cardboard or other tubes
- Stamps, stickers or similar items
- Shredded cigarettes, home - rolled cigarettes and pipes
- Small squares of paper folded to make little envelopes
Vulnerable Groups
- Homeless
- Looked after
- Learners excluded from education in the past
- Sexually abused
- Prostitutes
- In contact with mental health and criminal justice team
- Learners with parents with drug problems
Risk factors
- Chaotic home environment
- Parents who misuse drugs or suffer from mental illness
- Behavioural disorders
- Lack of parental nurturing
- Inappropriate and /or aggressive classroom behaviour
- Educational failure
- Poor coping skills
- Low commitment to course
- Friendship with deviant peers
- Low socio-economic status
- Early age of first drug use
- Being labelled as a drug misuser
Protective factors
- Strong family bonds
- Experiences of strong parental monitoring with clear family rules
- Family involvement in the lives of learners
- Successful Service experiences
- Strong bonds with local community activities
- A caring relationship with at least one child
Confidentiality
In managing drugs Hull Training and Adult Education need to have regard to issues of confidentiality. Staff cannot and should not promise total confidentiality. The boundaries of confidentiality should be made clear to learners. If a learner discloses information which is sensitive, not generally known, and which the learner asks not to be passed on, the request should be honoured unless this is unavoidable in order for staff to fulfil their professional duties in relation to -
- Child protection
- Co-operating with a police investigation
- Referral to external services
Every effort should be made to secure the learner’s agreement to the way in which Hull Training and Adult Education intends to use any sensitive information.
It may be necessary to invoke local child protection procedures if a learner’s safety is under threat. It should be only in exceptional circumstances that sensitive information is passed on against a learner’s wishes, and even the Hull Training and Adult Education should inform the learner first and endeavour to explain why this needs to happen. These exceptions are defined by a moral or professional duty to act -
- Where there is a child protection issue
- Where life is in danger
Drugs which may be authorised by the Service
Illegal drugs have no place in Hull Training and Adult Education. However, there are instances where other drugs may legitimately be used.
Medicines
Some learners may require medicines that have been prescribed for their medical condition during the timetabled day. If the Service staff manage and administer medicines they should have a clear procedure in place, agreed with the Head of Service for, Young People, Skills and Employability. These must comply with legislation and take account of local national guidance.
For further information on managing medicines in Service see Supporting pupils at school with medical conditions (DfES December 2015).
Recording an incident
Hull Training and Adult Education should make a full record of every incident. Storage of sensitive information about learners or staff should be secure and should accord with the requirements of the Data protection Act 2018.
Hull Training and Adult Education should be aware that records, including notes of any discussions with learners, may be used in any subsequent court proceedings. Notes should include time, date, place and people present, as well as what was said.
Downloadable Drug Incident Record sheet.
Monitoring, Evaluation and Review
- This policy will be evaluated and reviewed annually to assess its implementation and effectiveness
- Records of drug related incidents will be presented to and monitored by SMT
- The Learner Experience and Performance team will monitor drugs education and its effectiveness throughout the Service. It will ensure that all staff involved in drug related education or issues are adequately supported and trained
- The policy will be promoted and implemented throughout HTEAS
This policy will be made available to all staff, parents/carers/learners/learners.