Elearning
Provider: The National College
published: £80.00
Child exploitation and drugs trafficking are illegal throughout the UK. All school staff should be aware of indicators that children are at-risk from, or are involved in, serious violent crime, including county lines, as part of their statutory safeguarding duties. This course provides you with the knowledge and skills to understand, identify and support children who may be vulnerable to exploitation and at risk of being recruited into county lines.
Provider: Virtual College
published: £30.00
Formerly known as Gang Related Issues and County Lines this online Child Criminal Exploitation, Gangs and County Lines training has been designed to give learners a better understanding of gang issues and county lines by looking at these terms, what they mean and the signs and symptoms of abuse. The online CPD approved safeguarding training also looks at Child Criminal Exploitation (CCE), its definition and how to recognise it and much more.
Podcasts
It will probably come as no surprise that drinking and drug culture is a huge problem for students. Leaving home and gaining independence is a very exciting time for any student but this can come with its own problems and struggles, one of the main ones being the pressure to drink and use substances.
In this episode, we discuss criminal exploitation and county lines. The experts are Dave, a parent whose son, Mark, became involved with gangs, and Catherine, a youth justice manager who worked with Dave and Mark and has expertise in gangs and county lines.
Madeleine Finlay speaks to former Guardian health editor Sarah Boseley about the rise in vaping among under-18s and what can be done to discourage more children from taking up the habit. She also hears from Prof Linda Bauld about the impact of vaping on young people
Video
Websites
Childline is here to help anyone under 19 in the UK with any issue they’re going through. You can talk about anything. Whether it’s something big or small, our trained counsellors are here to support you. Childline is free, confidential and available any time, day or night. Get help and advice about a wide range of issues, call us on 0800 1111, talk to a counsellor online, send Childline an email or post on the message boards.
County Lines is a very serious issue where criminal gangs set up a drug dealing operation in a place outside their usual operating area. Gangs will move their drug dealing from big cities (e.g. London, Manchester, Liverpool etc.) to smaller towns in order to make more money. This can have a really big effect on the community who live there and bring with it serious criminal behaviour.
Children as young as six are being forced to carry and sell drugs far away from their homes. They are made to skip school, sleep in drug dens, keep secrets from their loved ones. They are treated as criminals when they often feel trapped in a hopeless situation.
Fully Human is the research and development arm of the PSHE Association. It’s our place to think, stretch out and join the dots between this fast changing world and what might best support children and young people to navigate it.
Home Office Minister Lord Henley said ‘There are so many ways for young people to get information on drugs: through their friends, the internet, TV programmes, films and song lyrics that knowing what’s true and where the dangers lie can be difficult. It is important that young people know that FRANK will always give them free and accurate information and confidential advice whenever they need it.
The Mix is the UK’s leading support service for young people. We are here to help you take on any challenge you’re facing – from mental health to money, from homelessness to finding a job, from break-ups to drugs. Talk to us via our online community, on social, through our free, confidential helpline or our counselling service.
In response to requests for resources on youth vaping, our Public Health team have provided this toolkit aimed at schools, colleges and other professionals who work with children and young people, as well as parents and carers. These resources have been adapted with permission from Sheffield Council who developed them with ASH (Action on Smoking and Health), a public health charity set up by the Royal College of Physicians to end the harm caused by tobacco. The resources are designed to support educators, including PSHE and safeguarding leads, parents, and carers to have evidence-based conversations and enable children and young people to make informed decisions about vaping.
Documents
Author: Gov.UK
Published: 26-01-2024
There were 46,551 adults in alcohol and drug treatment in prisons and secure settings between 1 April 2022 and 31 March 2023. Numbers in treatment have increased 3% year on year for the last 2 years, with 43,607 reported in 2020 to 2021 and 45,096 in 2021 to 2022.
Author: RADAR (Scotland)
Published: 01-12-2023
There is an increase in the availability of a new type of synthetic opioid drugs called nitazenes. They are also known as 2-benzyl benzimidazole opioids. Due to their unexpected presence in the drug supply and high potency, nitazenes pose a substantial risk of overdose, hospitalisation and death.
Author: Institute of Alcohol Studies
Published: 28-02-2023
This report examines possible explanations for the decline seen in alcohol-related violence – drawing on existing literature exploring: changing patterns in violence (e.g., Farrell et al. 2014), alcohol’s relationship with violence (e.g., Graham & Livingston 2011), and the measurement of violence (e.g., Reiner 2016).
Author: European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA)
Published: 23-01-2023
The purpose of this report is to examine the current situation, risks and responses to the recreational use of nitrous oxide in Europe. To support this, the report also provides a state-of-the-art review of the chemistry, pharmacology and toxicology of the gas. It is intended for policymakers and practitioners.
Author: Action For Childre
Published:
In March 2024 we published the findings of the Jay Review of Criminally Exploited Children. This is our first piece of follow-up research, which examines the harms caused to exploited children and makes recommendations to ensure that these children can be safeguarded effectively.
Classroom Resources
Cover the statutory Health Education requirements with our drug and alcohol lesson packs
Category: Drugs
Audience: KS1, KS2, KS3, KS4, KS5
Developed by: PSHE Association
Duration (minutes): 30+
Keywords: drugs, county lines, alcohol
The PSHE Association drug and alcohol schemes of work for key stages 1-4 have been developed for Public Health England. This pack includes lesson plans and resources for each key stage — with knowledge organisers included — as well as a comprehensive teacher guidance document, a briefing on the evidence base underpinning effective drug and alcohol education, and governors’ briefing. Interactive PowerPoint lesson plans are also available, for members of the Association.
Support pupils with SEND to explore the facts, laws, risks and consequences associated with drug and alcohol use, as well as the dangers of household products and prescribed medications.
Category: Drugs
Audience: SEND
Developed by: PSHE Association
Duration (minutes): <60
Keywords:
These lesson plans and slides are designed to be used flexibly, and can be adapted to meet the needs and abilities of your pupils. Each lesson provides several main activities for you to choose from, which are based on the progression stages outlined in our Planning Framework for Pupils with SEND.
The lesson plans from the Home Office are designed to prevent young people becoming involved in serious and organised crime.
Category: Crime and ASB, Drugs
Audience: KS3
Developed by: Home Office
Duration (minutes): 2×60
Keywords:
The Year 7 lesson will help students recognise unsafe or coercive friendships. The Year 9 lesson explores the impact of serious and organised crime directly, including the example of young people involved in drugs supply with a focus on county lines (transporting drugs across counties).
KS3 form time activities
Category: Drugs
Audience: KS3
Developed by: Gov.UK
Duration (minutes): -30 mins
Keywords:
In these 3 form time sessions, students learn about social pressures around vaping, its impact, and the effects of nicotine on the adolescent brain.
Consequences of vaping and challenging the influences that might encourage young people to vape
Category: Drugs
Audience: KS3
Developed by: PSHE Association
Duration (minutes): 60
Keywords: vaping, consequences, harm
A year 9 lesson exploring the consequences of vaping and challenging the influences that might encourage young people to vape. Designed to follow on from the Year 9 lessons in our existing suite of drug and alcohol education lessons, this lesson will help students understand the impact of influences, influencers and marketing on vaping-related choices and behaviours, explain the consequences of vaping, including the environmental cost of e-cigarettes, analyse ways to challenge influences and misconceptions about vaping
News
05/12/2024: Welcome Rise Of Numbers In Drug & Alcohol Treatment
2023/24 treatment stats show welcome (7%) rise in numbers in drug & alcohol treatment.
25/11/2024: ‘I had no idea being a social drinker would damage my liver by 31’
At 31 years old, I was told by doctors that if I didn’t stop drinking alcohol, I could die.
06/11/2024: What is the UK smoking ban and how many people still smoke?
It will be illegal for anyone currently aged 15 or under to ever buy cigarettes in the UK, under new laws proposed by the government.
04/11/2024: ‘I wish I’d never taken it’: More young people seeking rehab as ketamine addiction spirals in the UK
Casey Innalls was left in excruciating pain and was hospitalised for 12 days with a condition known as k-bladder
31/10/2024: Students taught about spiking dangers in new campaign
Students are being taught about the dangers of drink spiking using goggles that simulate how it might feel to be drugged.
31/10/2024: Youth club on wheels hoping to improve young lives
A mobile youth club that aims to stop children “going down the wrong path” has launched with an amnesty bin to allow knives to be surrendered.
28/10/2024: The Tragic Rise Of Drug-Related Deaths
There were 5,448 deaths related to drug poisoning in 2023; the highest number on record.
24/10/2024: Disposable vapes to be banned from June
The sale of single-use disposable vapes will be banned in England and Wales from June next year, the government has confirmed.
21/10/2024: Smoking, Drinking & Drug Use Among School Children
Latest stats show a fall in the number of school children taking drugs.
09/09/2024: Fitness of youngsters who vape ‘is just as bad as smokers of same age’, study reveals
Young vapers perform worse in exercises than their peers who do not use e-cigarettes and record performances similar to smokers the same age, according to a study.