DrugData Update

DrugData Update has moved

2007-07-17T17:11:00.001Z

Due to persistent technical difficulties, we've relocated to http://drugscope.wordpress.com/

Please update your bookmarks and aggregators.

Sorry for any inconvenience.

Anne

Finding and Sharing Information: New Resources

2007-07-13T08:13:00.000Z

Yesterday at our national conference we relaunched the DrugScope website. It has a brighter look and feel, a more intuitive interface, updated content and new features, including an online bookshop (in association with Amazon), online polls, an interactive quiz and a blog directory. The complete list of new features is available on the what's new page, and our press release about the conference and relaunch is here.

The website relaunch has given us the opportunity to consolidate and develope our information services. Key features include:

DrugScope Filter

As announced in May’s Members’ Briefing, this gadget enables you to search over twenty of the top UK sites at the same time. Great for initial searches to see what’s ‘out there’ on a topic. Available here.

New ways to search DrugData

Responding to your requests, we’ve added new features to DrugData. You can now search by Document Number (handy for looking up references from our reading lists or notes you’ve made earlier). What’s more, our thesaurus terms can be searched through the subject box or the new “thesaurus terms” field, which gives more specific results.

And when you’ve found a keyword term you like, you can use it as a tag, clicking on it to find everything else tagged with that term.

New-look Helpfinder

Our opt-in directory of UK treatment services has been coloured to suit our new-look website and can still be searched online here. If your service isn’t listed, contact info@drugscope.org.uk or download a form from the website.

Online Bookmarks

We’re collating more and more online references on Connotea. Add them to your own Connotea page, or download them into your reference management software (BibTex, Endnote and XML and RSS are all supported).

… And all the basics

Whether it’s keeping up to date – http://drugscope.blogspot.com/ – or answering a specific query – info@drugscope.org.uk – DrugScope aims to support your professional practice with information.

The information in this blog article, complete with screenshots, is available as a pdf download: print double-sided and fold in half or print single sided

Anne Welsh
Information Officer

2007-07-09T11:21:00.000Z

Exploring user perceptions of occasional and controlled heroin use: a follow-up study.
McSweeney T., Turnbull P.J.
York: Joseph Rowntree Foundation, 2007. 64p.
Book examining how occasional and controlled heroin users managed their drug use over an extended period of time.

2007-07-07T10:16:00.000Z

A qualitative and quantitative review of cocaine-induced craving: the phenomenon of priming.
Mahoney J.J., Kalechstein A.D., De La Garza R., Newton T.F.
Progress in Neuro-Psychopharmacology and Biological Psychiatry: 31(3), April, 2007, p. 593-599.
Drug-induced craving is thought to play an important role in relapse occasioned by a “slip”, or an isolated use of a previously abused drug after a period of abstinence. Clinical experience suggests that acute exposure to cocaine elicits craving (“priming”). The intentions of this review are to provide a qualitative review of the literature as well as a more stringent quantitative review of the existence and presence of cocaine-induced priming effects.

A DrugScope Experience

2007-07-06T11:06:00.000Z

Work Experience is pointless and a waste of time. This opinion will be rushing through many people’s minds. But from a teenager’s point of view it is a time where you can get 2 weeks away from school (what a relief), and a chance to gain an insight into an adult environment.

Yes, I know many young people on work experience will have to make tea and coffee, and do odd jobs that the staff don’t feel like doing, but we all have to start somewhere and this experience gives us a chance to see what it is like. This is all an experience, and many people will not get another chance to have a taste of life in an office, shop, school or nursery etc.

My own initial thought when I was offered the place at DrugScope was that I would have been made to do all the boring office jobs and the odd jobs the staff did not want to do. My whole perspective of office life has now changed due to the amazing people I had to work with. Not only did I learn tremendously from the people at DrugScope, I also learnt a lot about myself. I learnt that I have an opinion of myself which is not great and others disagreed and thought I had potential.

I found out that office life isn’t as glamorous as it is sometimes made out to be; you don’t sit down and surf the net all day, you have to do a lot of typing, sending e-mails and go to meetings. The worst of all is when you have to sort out the post (what a nightmare). I had to sit down at a table for ages stuffing envelopes. If I see an envelope again, I will pass out!

Work experience was an adventure in itself as it gave me a chance to mature, and enabled me to adapt into an adult environment. It also gave me a chance to see if any other professions suited who I am.

Before I came to DrugScope I always knew that I wanted to work in media as that is where my passion has always been and working with Ruth has given me an insight into the work involved in media. As she is the Press & Communications Officer, she gave me the chance to see press releases, the service which journalists use to get their stories. I found all of this fascinating as I was learning things that I had never come across.

I also worked with Jill, one of the Information Officers (librarians). I found this another learning experience as I had a vision of librarians; they were the people who are at the desk at the library ordering kids to BE QUIET, but I learnt so much from her. Her job is more than that, not only does she have to answer the phone to a large amount of people and provide them with information, she also has to maintain the helpfinder directory and update its data. The stereotypical view of this profession is wrong in many cases.

I had to go to a couple of meetings, which was new to me as I have never been in ones like those. They gave me an understanding of how meetings are operated. I can now understand why a lot of adults like to drink coffee! I found the Education Forum meeting interesting as I got a chance to see how a group of professionals sort out problems to do with drug education.

This link takes you to an article written by a journalist called Sathanam Sanghhera. Sanghhera clearly broadcasts that he thinks work experience is a waste of time. Maybe it has changed since he did it back his day, but it also matters what company you go to. He infers that ‘too many students spend their placements being passed around the office, disowned by successive adult employees, This is very true in many cases, but fortunately this did not happen to me. Yes, I was sent to different people daily, but it was because I needed to learn the different types of jobs which are at DrugScope. All the staff enabled me to work freely and helped me whenever I needed them. Not a single one of the staff treated me as if I were unwanted, or disowned me.

The first day was remarkable. I was escorted around the office and shown where the important places were such as the toilet and kitchen. I was clearly introduced to the members of staff, and this was helpful as if I needed help from any particular person I did not feel uncomfortable or awkward, coming across them in the office.

This experience has flown by. It’s unbelievable. I will miss all of the people who work here at DrugScope, as they have taught me a lot, made me laugh and most of all they have welcomed me as a part of the team.Overall, I have had a packed 2 weeks, full of good and hardly any bad days, except when I was extremely tired : (

Shianne Brown
DrugScope work placement student, June/July 2007

In her short two weeks at DrugScope, Shianne has put together some useful resources for us, including her blog article on young people's websites and some bookmark sets from our reading lists.

Websites for Young People: a Fresh Look

2007-06-29T10:47:00.000Z

Local student Shianne Brown is with DrugScope on a work placement 25 June - 6 July. As well as gaining an overview of working life in a third sector organisation, Shianne has been looking at web resources aimed at young people. Taking Jackie Buckle's March post as her starting point, in this week's blog article, Shianne shares her perspective, as a 15-year-old Londoner, on drug information sites aimed at teenagers.

[[D-World]] The D-World website has a suitable theme as it is aimed at young children and teenagers. The website has a certain appeal that makes the audience more interested in what the website has to show. D-World makes sure that the explanations of the drugs are clear and manageable to read. At the age I am now I find the site both appealing and appropriate for its target audience.
The games which are included are handy, however, changes could take place such as the ‘What Am I ?’ game. The clues for the type drugs are easy and maybe it would be good to try and make the clues more challenging, on the other hand you may have to consider that D-World is aiming also at 9 year olds.This site differs enormously from the adult site as it has a more laid back approach whereas with the adult site there is a lot of writing and factual information which has more relevance to them.

[[LifeBytes]] The things that most attracts me to the Lifebytes website is its colours and the lay out. The fact that the website has a more broad approach by dealing with problems not only with drugs but also with sex, health conditions, smoking and many more. This would be a great deal of help towards the younger generation as there are many problems facing them in everyday life. I found that the dictionary on the website was useful as there will be many words which I have not seen before or uncertain about.
This website is not one of those website in which you would feel uncomfortable if your parents walked in, it does not contain any inappropriate words or pictures which many would find unpleasing.
When googled the website came up as the first heading which is useful as people will recognise it as a successful and popular website.

[[Talk To Frank]] This website is useful for the younger generation however I would feel many people would feel uncomfortable if their parents saw them on this website as they may initially think that they are experimenting with drugs.
The Frank website answers all the question I have ever wondered about drugs as it gives you an insight into the world of drugs and the tough circumstances of taking them. The website uses postcards which highlight a sense of sarcasm but gets to the point of how drugs can ruin and changes lives dramatically. The Frank website is highly popular because when you have ran it through Google the first page is full of pages from the site.

[[The Site]] The site website provided a variety of issues for young people especially in college or university, it offers support and advice which is appealing for the person reading it. However the developers may improve the site by focusing a little bit on the older people in year 11 about college courses instead of just university students. The site did answer my questions related to drugs, nevertheless, it doesn’t give a lot of information about drugs like previous websites did such as Frank and LifeBytes. When googled the site comes up as the first found search which is pleasing as it is a well-known website.

[[Wotz Da Factz]] I found Wotz Da Factz website a bit basic as it did not have any pictures which relates to the text. I also found the website more suitable for the parents than children. I personally did not take to the idea of the website, and its approach. However, I would think that the parents of the children will find the website more useful, as it contains a lot of relevant and factual information which they can discuss with their children.

[[Talk4Teens]] Talk4Teens was the website in which I found most interesting when I saw the home page. The website contain a lot of other issues such as sex then it gives you a lot of other useful information such as STI’s, the law and also contraception, the downside of this is that the website does not contain a lot of pictures. This version of the website has changed since last year, they have added a new sections that covers information about drugs.
The whole layout of the website instantly approaches teenagers by the colours used and the language used as it is not too formal and extraordinary words are not used. I am certain that if anybody saw me on this on this website they would not jump to conclusions and make up their own assumptions, that I was taking drugs it appears to be a website which is appropriate for my age group.

[[To Conclude…]] All of the website clearly show that the main social issue in the UK and all around the globe are to do with drugs, sex, depression etc. The majority of the websites successfully appeals to their target audience. As they approach the themes that they are trying to aim at children or teenagers. Many of the websites are appropriate for young children and teenagers to look at they do not show explicit images, which would alarm parents or carers. Overall the website all show success, they are appealing, appropriate and lastly contains a lot of information about the important topics.

Shianne Brown

Finding AOD Information

2007-06-18T13:25:00.000Z

109659
Medline and beyond: finding alcohol and other drug information.
Welsh A.
From: Health Libraries Group Newsletter: 24(2), June, 2007, p.19-24.
This article highlights sources of information on Medline and other internet sources.

HLG Newsletter Internet Sites of Interest

2007-06-18T13:23:00.000Z

109660
Internet sites of interest: drugs and pharmacology and National Knowledge Weeks.
Nockels K.
From: Health Libraries Group Newsletter: 24(2), June, 2007, p.26-29.
Useful web references for medicinal drugs, with a few references for problematic drug use.

War on Drugs and the DMZ

2007-06-18T13:21:00.000Z

This week's Druglink Blog article discusses the difficulties inherent in staying neutral in the drugs debate.

Drugs Worker in Training: Tim's Story

2007-06-14T14:51:00.000Z

Regular blog readers will remember Gay's story. Gay volunteered for Addaction and DrugScope before going on to co-found "Out of It?", a user involvement project in Lewisham.

For the last six months, Tim Brown has been volunteering for DrugScope (through Addaction again), working on updating our catalogue, DrugData. Tim is about to leave us to continue his NVQ training on placement at the Maudsley. In this blog article, he shares his experiences thus far on the road to becoming an alcohol and drugs worker.

“Hello. My name’s.., and I’m an alcoholic.”

About twenty-five years ago, I spoke those words, provoking gales of laughter, in a studio at BBC Television Centre, while filming the first ever episode of “Dear John”, a successful situation comedy written by John Sullivan (“Only Fools and Horses”) and starring the late Ralph Bates. Little did I know what was to follow. What is it they say about ‘Life imitating Art’?…

Fast-forward to a sunny Sunday morning two years ago. I was due to go to a birthday lunch party in Docklands. When I awoke, however, I was sweating and shaking like never before. The usual mug of coffee and first cigarettes of the day didn’t seem to be helping, and it was far too early in the day for a drink – even for me. Luckily, my then housemate realised something was wrong and called the out-of-hours medical helpline, in our case “Grabadoc” a wonderful acronym conjuring up images of Kenneth Williams and Hattie Jacques in a “Carry On” film. I was prescribed two days’ diazepam over the ‘phone on condition that I went to my GP the following morning.

So began my recovery from what had been twenty years’ alcohol abuse.

The surgery was its usual busy Monday-morning self, so I was seen in fact by a final-year medical student on work placement, with my GP occasionally popping her head around the door to check on our progress. After nearly two hours I had been thoroughly examined, medically and psychologically. “Do you think you’re ready to stop drinking from today?” Tom asked, “Or do you want to have a couple of days to think about it?” I plumped for the former, reasoning that I was about thirty-six hours dry by now, something that I couldn’t have said before for what seemed to be a lifetime, and feeling rather brave as I said it. (In hindsight, I realised how astute Tom was to give me the choice, rather than to impose a decision on me.) I left with instructions to organise blood tests, a liver scan, and a visit to my opticians to check for any damage to my eyesight. I also had the telephone number for the Beresford Project in Woolwich [0203 228 1700] which was to be my first port of call on my new journey.

There, on the Wednesday, I was assessed and breathalysed, and given the telephone number of the Bexley and Greenwich Resource for Alcohol [BAGRA tel: 0208 304 6588] and on the Friday I sat with two other rather nervous men while a friendly member of staff explained the services they offered. As it happened, there was an immediate vacancy for an assessment; and so it was that on the following Monday I went to my first group meeting on harm reduction. All within a week.

About two months later I was offered a place on their six-week structured day programme. There were seven of us to begin with. We learned about the medical risks of alcohol, Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, Anger and Stress Management, and Relapse Prevention. I watched our facilitator Ian console one of our group who had lapsed over a weekend, and realised that facilitating might be something that I’d like to do. At the end of the six weeks, I was referred to the local branch of the Shaw Trust in Bexleyheath [0208 304 4196] under the ‘Progress 2 Work’ scheme, and there I started computer classes – my IT skills were non-existent – and tried to decide what to do next. One day, my key worker Abigayle asked me if I had ever heard about the NEXT Project run by Addaction [0207 017 2868] and the next leg of my journey was about to begin.

I applied to Addaction and was short-listed for a group interview. I suppose there were about twenty-four or five of us, of all shapes and sizes. As a middle-aged, middle-class white male I felt rather old and ‘square’, slightly out-of-place, but once we were all engaged in group exercises I didn’t have time to think about any of that. I found it all daunting, but then I suppose everyone else did as well. I remember phrases such as “If you find this uncomfortable, you’ll probably find the course uncomfortable, too”, but everybody seemed to be totally engaged and supportive of each other. After a few days, I received a ‘phone call – I was ‘in’.

The NEXT Project runs for two days a week for thirteen weeks on a rolling basis and usually comprises about 15 people, all ex-drug and alcohol service users. The training is highly professional, and at the end of the course we had gained accreditation from the Open College Network in 5 units, including harm reduction, substance misuse interventions and drug awareness. There was much emphasis on personal development, and we were expected to behave as though we were already professionals in the field. Some fell by the wayside, or left to pursue other options, but I felt great support from my peers, and felt I learnt a lot from their collective experiences.

[The next group interviews are being held in early June, for intake in July and August, but the lists are pretty full from previous applicants, check with Becca Lundberg at r.lundberg@addaction.org.uk. The interviews after that will probably be in late summer]

For some of the NEXT trainees, Addaction can arrange a six-month administrative work placement in a substance misuse service for one day a week. In my case, this was with DrugScope, [0207 940 7500] the UK’s leading independent centre of learning on drugs. I started soon after they had moved offices, so my first task was to help re-shelve the books in the reference library (an amazing collection of books, journal articles and reports) I later learnt how to print and bind, and then catalogue articles for the shelves, and my final project is this ‘blog’, together with some research on training courses and recommended reading for would-be drug workers.

Towards the end of my time on the NEXT Project, my tutor encouraged me to apply for the SMART Scheme. At the time, this was run jointly by Addaction and Rugby House, another drug charity, and in fact our intake – yes, I did somehow manage to bluff my way onto the course – is the last to be organised this way. From now on, each will run their own almost identical course. [For the Addaction version, the closing date for the next applications is 7th September, with interviews between 26th and 28th September, and the course starting in January 2008. [0207 017 2868] At the time of writing this, the Rugby House version still has a couple of vacancies (deadline 25th June) though they are being ‘targeted’. Short-listing will be in early July with interviews in mid-July, and the course starting in September. [Simone on 0207 462 6972] The next set of dates will be applications and interviews in the autumn for a January 2008 intake.

The current scheme, and indeed the above-mentioned ones to be run separately, attracted over one hundred applications, of which about sixty were short-listed for interview, and seventeen were awarded places. It runs for 6 months, training one day a week, with a work placement of between 6 and 9 months in a substance misuse service three days a week. At the end of it, we should qualify with an NVQ Level 3 in Health and Social Care, including 4 DANOS units (Drugs and Alcohol Occupational Standard.)

In fact the first four weeks form an induction period, three days a week, where we had training in Substance misuse awareness, Alcohol awareness, Health Risks of substances, Learning styles, Boundaries, Diversity, equality and discrimination, and a general introduction to the NTA Models of Care framework. Like the NEXT Project, most of the training is done in groups or sub-groups, trying to get out of one’s comfort zone, but unlike NEXT the SMARTScheme is open to all, not just ex-users. Exhausting, draining, but incredibly inspiring.

After the induction period, if all goes well, we begin at our pre-allocated placements. Mine is the Acute Assessment Unit at the Maudsley Hospital, temporarily housed at the Bethlem Royal Hospital in Beckenham, Kent, but due to relocate to its traditional site in Denmark Hill at the end of June. The unit is a 14-bedded residential service offering rapid response to chaotic drug and alcohol dependent clients. The service offers stabilisation, assessment and detoxification depending on individual need, and main areas of support and education include relapse prevention, stress management and personal development, assertiveness, communication and practical life skills work, health education, peer evaluation and occupational therapy. It is hectic and challenging, but I have been made to feel completely at home, and I know that I have found the type of work that I want to do. All I have to do now is to pass the exams!

It is now just over two years since I last drank alcohol, two years of enormous change in my life. I owe much to many people, some of whom may read this; I hope that you know who you are. Various words and phrases are currently floating around in my head, in no particular order they include Humbling, Passionate, Fulfilling, Exciting, Extraordinary, and in the case of the AAU ‘Lunatics’ and ‘Asylum’. I wonder if the ghost of Nye Bevan is having a quiet chuckle?…

…Oh, and ‘Onwards and Upwards’.

Tim Brown, SMARTScheme Trainee

Training Courses

I have been in contact with two other organisations which offer training courses for would-be drugs and alcohol workers, more are listed on the Pathfinders section of Drugscope’s website: http://www.drugscope.org.uk/

The Blenheim/CDP run ‘A Pathway to Drugs Work’ training programme for people wishing to pursue an interest in the drugs field. Contact Hazel Tulloch on 0208 960 5599 or h.tulloch@blenheimcdp.org.uk for more information.

The Westminster Drug Project (WDP) runs courses for drug workers and also for volunteers, as and when they are looking to recruit, rather than at specific times of the year. Contact Kirstie Smith on 0207 421 3124 or kirstie@wdp-drugs.org.uk

Both of these courses, plus the Next and SMARTScheme are free!

Suggested reading list

Books that I have found useful (mostly available in the DrugScope library) include:

Druglink Guide to Drugs

The Essential Drugs Worker / Tim Morrison

Street Drugs / Andrew Tyler

Treatment Approaches for Alcohol and Drug Dependence / Tracey Jarvis et al

Motivational Interviewing / Miller and Rollnick

Relapse Prevention / Marlatt and Donovan

The Red Book of Groups / Gaie Huston

Health and Social Care (adults) / Yvonne Nolan

Others on the SMARTScheme list:

Working with Substance Users: A Practical Guide / Petersen and McBride

Tackling Alcohol Together / Duncan Raistrick

Making Sense of Experiential Learning / Warner, Weil & McGill

A Woman in Your Own Right / Anne Dickson

I’m OK, you’re OK / Thomas A.Harris

The Complete Facilitator’s Handbook / John Heron

Image from Finding Your Life Work (1940)

DrugScope Filter

2007-06-13T15:39:00.000Z

There are literally millions of pages of drug information on the internet. There's too much for a general Google search to find what you need without complicated search strings, and specialist databases can seem like over-kill for an initial search. As a response to this, we have brought some of the best sites together within one Google-based search engine we call the DrugScope Filter.

How do we define 'best' ? These are examples of sites which provide in-depth, current, non-judgemental and considered information and/or analysis derived from the evidence-base. They've also organised their information in a way that provides more or less predictable results to simple queries.

With the DrugScope Filter there's no need to specify "drugs" when you're looking for something - the sites we've chosen are all drug-related. And you don't need to learn different terminology - this is a Google search, after all. It's just Google in our own subject area, without the white noise.

DrugScope Filter harnesses Google's search power and functionality to search top-quality UK-based sites from the alcohol and other drug sector. Available here.

Harm Reduction Action Plan

2007-05-22T10:26:00.000Z

"Around £2-million is to be spent to help reduce the number of people dying from drug overdoses or contracting blood-borne viruses through injecting themselves with dirty needles.

A new drug Harm Reduction Action Plan, published today, will result in more effective treatment being provided to drug misusers, and will provide more support for rehabilitation and abstinence." (DH Press release, accessed 22/05/2007).

Am out of the office the rest of the day, but assume that the plan will be available from here when it comes out.

Ten Years of Labour

2007-05-16T19:02:00.000Z

Health and ten years of Labour government: achievements and challenges.
Thorlby R., Maybin J.
King's Fund.
London: King's Fund, 2007. 17p.
Briefing outlining the key activities in the health service since 1997.

Commissioning a Brighter Future

2007-05-16T18:56:00.000Z

Commissioning a brighter future: improving access to psychological services.
UK. National Health Service
London: NHS, 2007. 32p.
Includes chapters on key principles of modern psychological therapy services, promoting a consumer-led approach, pathfinders and demonstration sites.

Breaking Down Barriers

2007-05-16T18:50:00.000Z

Breaking down barriers: clinical case for change.
Appleby L.
UK. Department of Health.
London: DH, 2007. 12p.
Employment, housing and a strong social network are as important to a person’s mental health as the treatment they receive. This breifing explains why we have to continue to improve community care and break down the barriers that can prevent people from rebuilding their lives.

Internet for Social Research Methods

2007-05-16T18:00:00.000Z

Internet for Social Research Methods - online tutorial from Intute.

Mental Health Ten Years On

2007-05-16T17:52:00.000Z

Mental Health ten years on: progress on mental health care reform.
Appleby L.
UK. Department of Health.
London: DH, 2007. 8p.
One of a series of reports commissioned to look at key areas of progress in the NHS since 1997. Covers key achievements and statistics, including patient views.

The Status of Social Care

2007-05-16T17:50:00.000Z

The status of social care: a review, 2007.
Platt D.
UK. Department of Health.
London: DH, 2007. 33p.
Report of a review by Dame Denise Platt on how the status of social care might be raised.

Human Rights Annual Report

2007-05-16T17:39:00.000Z

Human Rights annual report: third report of session 2006-2007. Report, together with formal minutes, oral and written evidence. Ordered by the House of Commons to be printed 18 April 2007.
UK. Parliament. House of Commons. Foreign Affairs Committee.
(HC 269).
London: TSO, 2007. 192p.
Sections cover the international framework, international criminal tribunals, terrorism, and countries of concern.

Bringing Offenders to Justice

2007-05-11T13:44:00.000Z

109573
Bringing offenders to justice: criminal justice penalties and sentencing.
UK. Criminal Justice System for England and Wales.
London: CJS, 2007 31p.
The purpose of this paper is to summarise Government’s current policy on penalties and sentencing. In particular, it sets out where out of court penalties and other interventions fit in our overall approach. Includes information on drugs offences.

Russian HIV/AIDS Prevention

2007-05-04T14:27:00.000Z

109505
Recent developments in HIV/AIDS prevention for Russian adolescents.
Stothard B., Romanova O., Ivanova L.
From: Sex Education: 7(2), May, 2007, p.175-189.
Rates of sexually transmitted infections and HIV transmission in Russia remain high. Official attitudes do not yet appear to recognise fully their significance. There is increasing knowledge of the population's sexual behaviour and attitudes, including of young people, emerging from local and externally funded programmes. This is leading to greater government interest and response. Previous government reluctance towards sexual health education programmes for young people is changing. The Ministry of Education and Science 2003 invitation to Moscow-based Project HOPE staff to produce HIV/AIDS materials for vocational school students has been funded and is being implemented. The invitation illustrates the political and professional success and acceptance of earlier drug education materials, and the adoption by the Ministry of a 'catalyst' role.
Available from: Taylor & Francis

Adult Offenders' Perceptions

2007-05-04T14:12:00.000Z

ONLINE ONLY 109504
Adult offenders’ perceptions of their underlying problems: findings from the OASys self-assessment questionnaire.
Moore R. UK. Home Office. Research, Development and Statistics Directorate.
London: Home Office, 2007. 6p..
(Home Office Findings 284).
The Offender Assessment System (OASys) is the national risk/needs assessment tool for adult offenders in England and Wales. It was developed through three pilot studies between 1999 and 2001 and has since been rolled out in electronic form (eOASys) across the prison and probation services. Of the five main components to OASys, the self-assessment questionnaire (SAQ) covers a range of social and individual problems and an offender’s perceived likelihood of further offending.
These findings summarise the responses of over 100,000 offenders, as recorded in the SAQ, between January 2003 and May 2006. They illustrate how perceptions vary between different offender groups and between offenders and practitioners.

Prevention in Colleges & Universities

2007-05-02T15:06:00.000Z

109565
Alcohol and drug prevention in colleges and universities.
Polymerou A. Mentor Foundation.
London: Mentor, 2007. 21p.
The aim of this paper is to review the evidence around the harm that alcohol and/or drugs cause among further education college and university students in the UK and examine the effectiveness of drug prevention. Little is known about the harm that alcohol and/or drugs cause among students in the UK and about the effectiveness of universities and colleges’ efforts to prevent substance misuse and related harm. Evidence about the effectiveness of drug education / awareness campaigns, social norms interventions, extracurricular activities and motivational interviewing is discussed. The paper concludes that more effort is needed to build the evidence base of drug prevention, increase the profile of drug prevention in further and higher education and support further education colleges and universities to deliver effective interventions.

A Glass Half Empty?

2007-05-02T15:05:00.000Z

109564
A glass half empty?: Alcohol Concern's review of the impact of the Alcohol Harm Reduction Strategy. Executive summary.
Diment E., Shenker D., Sen S. Alcohol Concern.
London: Alcohol Concern, 2007. 8p.
Document setting out Alcohol Concern's recommendations for national alcohol policy.

Alcohol Information Update

2007-05-02T11:56:00.000Z

Alcohol Concern has launched its blog, Alcohol Information Update. Like DrugData Update, it includes links to new reports and publications, though for alcohol as opposed to other drugs. It's a useful addition to the current awareness blogs in the field.