Youth

The NSW Government has developed a range of policies from prevention through to treatment to assist young people to deal with drugs. The NSW Drug Summit emphasised the importance of working with parents teachers, police and health workers to send a message to young people that drugs can jeopardise their health and life chances.

Section 2 of the Plan of Action, titled "Young People And Drug Abuse" is available here as a 15 page PDF (59k) document.

• NSW Government
• Australian Federal Government
• Governments of Other States & Territories
• Australian NGO's
• International

NSW Government

Department of Education : End of Year Celebration Kit
This kit has been developed by the Department of Education and Training to increase young people's knowledge and awareness of the issues relating to end of year activities. It contains help cards; FAQ's about cannabis, amphetamines and ecstasy; information about alcohol, dance parties, drink spiking, etc., and other websites about safe partying and drug related issues.

Premier's - CommunityBuilders: Drugs & Community Action

• Drugs, Young People and the Law
  A manual about drug laws and legal processes. Contains questions and answers about about drug laws and legal processes as they apply to young people.(Also available in Arabic, Spanish and Chinese.)
• Drug Smart Z-Card
  Produced as the first part of a family drug information package, this is a new drug and alcohol information card for young people. The Drug Smart Z-card dispels common myths about some of the drugs that young people may encounter and provides accurate information on drug and alcohol related issues.

NSW Office of Children and Young People: Alcohol and other drugs
This site links to a number of drug information websites including sites where you can get help if you are concerned for yourself or your friends.

NSW Health

• The Health Behaviours of Secondary School Students in NSW 2002
  This report of the behaviour of secondary school students in New South Wales 2002 is an overview of the main health behaviours of NSW secondary school students, which provides information on lifestyle behaviours including: substance use, such as smoking and drinking alcohol; sun protection; eating habits; involvement in physical activity; and the important areas of mental wellbeing and injuries. October 2004
• Families and Friends affected by the drug or alcohol use of someone else
  This booklet contains information about how to look after yourself and support your family. It also gives you the facts about drug and alcohol use and drug dependence, and treatment options available to the drug affected person. Information about where to go for more support and help is also included. It's common for families and friends affected by the alcohol or other drug use of someone close to go through a lot of stress and times when it's hard to cope. 2004
• Youth Treatment Service
  Describes a project to establish a medium term residential drug and alcohol treatment service in the Western Sydney region for young people.
  One Stop Shop Service Delivery Model for young people in rural areas
  Describes a project between NSW Health and the Department of Community Services (DoCs) to improve the health and wellbeing of adolescents, their knowledge of and access to drug and alcohol and youth services.
  Parents talking to teenagers about drugs
  Teenagers talking to parents about drugs
  NSW Youth Alcohol Action Plan
  Young people's health: our future
  A publication about improving the health of young people so they may obtain a better quality of life in adulthood.

NSW Commisssion for Children & Young People

NSW Department of Community Services (DOCS): Teenagers and drugs: find out the facts
Information about drugs that is aimed at parents

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Australian Federal Government

2005 National Drugs Campaign
The Australian Government has recently launched a new drugs campaign aimed at preventing young people using illicit drugs.

Australian Department of Family & Community Services

• Sustainable Consumption: Young Australians as Agents of Change
  Examines consumption patterns of young people in Australia and explores how young people can be encouraged and empowered to make changes in their own consumption patterns as well as being catalysts for change in the wider community. November 2004
• Barriers to Service Provision for Young People with Presenting Substance Misuse and Mental Health Problems
  The report details and describes the barriers to service provision for young people suffering from comorbidity. October 2004 Australian Department of Health and Ageing. Population Health Division

Australian Institute of Criminology (AIC): Patterns of Antisocial Behaviour from Early to Late Adolescence
50 per cent of all persons apprehended for offending in 2002 to 2003 (Victoria Police 2004) were aged between 10 and 24. As not all antisocial behaviour is recorded by police, it is valuable to measure adolescents’ own reports of their involvement in such behaviour.This paper analyses data from a large longitudinal study of Victorian children. It focuses on the types and extent of antisocial behaviour and explores differing across-time patterns of such behaviour.Dec. 2004

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Governments of Other States & Territories

South Australian Government: Child and Youth Health
An independent SA State Government health unit, funded by the Department of Human Services. This site has information for teenagers. It provides a general overview, discusses different type of drugs, looks at drugs and health issues, and so on.

Victorian Government: Youth Alcohol and Drug Treatment Services: Assessment and Intervention Tool
Prepared by the Turning Point Alcohol and Drug Centre Inc. The aim is to provide a standardised assessment tool which can be used across all youth alcohol and drug service types in Victoria. The output of the project is a report that provides information regarding the project, the methods used to develop the tool and a literature review. The report is accompanied by the tool, a set of attachments and this manual, which provides information and advice for applying the assessment tool. 2000

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Australian NGO's

Australian National Council on Drugs (ANCD): Structural determinants of youth drug use.
A report from NDARC by Catherine Spooner, Wayne Hall, Michael Lynskey. Provides information on macro-environmental influences on youth drug use,and how government policies and programs (structures) can positively or negatively influence those macro-environmental factors to prevent drug use and harms. 2001 

Centre for Youth Drug Studies (CYDS)
The Centre conducts research on drug issues and their effect on young people.

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International

Health Canada: Preventing Substance Use Problems Among Young People: A Compendium of Best Practices
A report from Health Canada prepared by Gary Roberts, Douglas McCall, Andrea Stevens-Lavigne, Jim Anderson, Angela Paglia, Sandy Bollenbach, Jamie Wiebe and Louis Gliksman. Evidence-based information on prevention activities. (2001)

National Institute of Drug Abuse (NIDA)

• Mind Over Matter Series
  This series explains how the brain reacts to various drugs (marijuana, opiates, inhalants, anabolic steroids, stimulants, and hallucinogens). The series is designed to encourage young people in grades five through nine to learn about the effects of drug abuse on the body and the brain.
• Preventing Drug Abuse among Children and Adolescents
  A research-based guide for parents, educators, and community leaders. It presents prevention principles, an overview of program planning, and critical first steps for those learning about prevention.

NIDA for Teens: The Science Behind Drug Abuse
The National Institute of Drug Abuse (NIDA) have developed a website aimed at drug abuse amongst teenagers.

UK Government

• Drugs.gov.uk - Reports and Publications
  Reports and publications from this UK cross-government website to support the National Drugs Strategy and the work of Drug Action Teams. From here you will be able to access 'The value and feasibility of a national survey of drug use among adults in the United Kingdom', 'Evaluation of various data sources on drug use, smoking and drinking by children of secondary school age' and 'At the margins: drug use by vulnerable young people in the 1998/99 Youth Lifestyles Survey'.
• Statistics on young people and drug misuse: 2000/2001
• Tackling Drugs with Vulnerable Young People
  Information about drug prevention projects. 2001
• Vulnerable Young People and Drugs
  Information about projects aimed at the development of intervention work amongst vulnerable young people. 2000
• Young Peoples Substance Misuse Plans: DAT Guidance
  Information about drug prevention projects. 2001
• The Score: Facts About Drugs
  This leaflet provides information on the risks and effects of drugs, what to do in an emergency and the law. It is aimed at 14-16 year olds. (1.44Mb PDF)

Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP): Predicting Heavy Drug Use, Results of a Longitudinal Study
This study’s main aims are to describe the movement of adolescents and young adults into and out of drug use and to predict heavy drug use. 2004

United Nations International Drug Control Programme (UNDCP): Global Youth Network
From the United Nations International Drug Control Programme (UNDCP). This site aims to increase youth involvement with the international community by developing drug abuse prevention policies and programmes, collecting and disseminating information on good practices and successfully implementing drug abuse prevention projects.

US Department of Health: Keeping Youth Drug Free
This publication is designed to help parents and caregivers prevent their children from getting involved with drugs

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