Talking to your teens about summer safety Varndean

Talking to your teens about summer safety Varndean and Dorothy Stringer School Summer 2018

House keeping • Fire exits • WCs • Tea and coffee

Aims of this session • To raise awareness and understanding of school policy and practice including drug, alcohol and tobacco education and incident management • To give confidence to parents and carers to be able to have informed dialogues with their young people around drug and alcohol use and staying safe, and also with other parents and carers and the school.

Working agreement • • • Listen to each other Respect the right to express different views Challenge the idea, not the person Confidentiality Take care with sharing personal information Raise individual issues / school-based issues outside of this session • Right to pass • Any others?

Our understanding of the problem. In year 11 - a class of 32 Cannabis and Young People 25 21. 9 • 11 have tried cannabis and 4/5 will smoke weekly / daily 20 15 • 25 have tried alcohol, 5 drink regularly • 14 will have tried smoking and 6 will currently smoke • 8 will have had sex** 14. 4 % 10 10 8. 9 5 5 4. 6 2. 1 2 1. 8 0 In the last month In the last year Brighton and Hove South East More than a year ago England

Year 11 : Data 300 young people: SAWSS : from Safe and Well Schools Data 2015

We. Being allinwant the same for our people. . Howyoung you feel affects progress: school is important • • Exclusions for drug related incidents have increased from 2016/17 to 2017/18. • Less than 50% in treatment Attend school regularly Long-term use can affect ability to learn and concentrate. As well as: • Affect memory loss • Difficulty thinking clearly • Difficulty problem-solving • Poor concentration / forgetfulness • Addiction. • Distress and confusion • Psychotic experiences effects Make good progress Behaviour for Learning: Achievement levels: • • • Factors associated : truancy / exclusion, exploitation, older pupils, family’s don’t discourage, Have good other risky behaviours. Behaviour • Alcohol: broadly anti-social behaviour / for Learning unsafe sex. • Drugs : criminal activity / dealing / gangs Impact : those who are struggling and those who are seen as high achievers. • Young people who engaged in risky health behavior reported lower wellbeing than those who did not. Achieve the best results 15 -year olds who drink once or twice a week are and be likely to score significantly lower at GCSE – the ready for difference between A* and E. next steps

There are many reasons why young people might experiment with drugs or alcohol, for example • • • Curiosity Something that seems fun or ‘cool’ To fit in/peer pressure (real or perceived) To escape issues Self medicate Because adults do

Spotting signs and symptoms • Possible signs of drug or alcohol misuse: – Asking for more money – Finding paraphernalia around the home e. g. jam jars, empty small plastic bags, bongs, and bottles, – Changing patterns at school: late /frequent absences from school – Decline in their performance – Mood swings, tiredness or angry outbursts – Becoming anxious or withdrawn – Changing their eating, sleeping or social habits – Smell! – excuses that’s its who they have been with. – Friend involvement.

Promoting resilience • Two most influential protective factor – parents / carers and school • Parents and carers play a crucial role in supporting their YP to make sensible choices and helping to put in place protective factors that help build resilience.

Promoting resilience

PSHE education Both Varndean and Dorothy Stringer delivery a planned programme of PSHE to all students that includes • Relationship and sex education • Drug and alcohol education • Mental health education • All of these always include messages of where to get help and how to stay safe

Stimulants Examples: Mephedrone, Cocaine, MDMA / Ecstasy, Nicotine, Caffeine, Amyl Nitrate (Poppers) • Positive effects: feelings of euphoria and empathy, increased sexual arousal and prolonged sexual activity, suppressed appetite, increased energy, heightened sociability, emotional communion, relatedness, emotional openness. • Negative effects: anxiety, panic attacks, Serotonin Syndrome, insomnia, increased heart rate, strong desire to re-dose, muscle spasms, potential to inject, deterioration in mental health, loss of appetite, weight loss, nose bleeds common with snorting powders. How might someone present under the influence?

Hallucinogens Examples: Ketamine, Nitrous Oxide, LSD / Acid, Mushrooms, Cannabis • Positive effects: increase feelings of empathy, more energy, personal insight, creative dreamlike experience, increase in aesthetic appreciation, distort perceptions of sight and sound and produce feelings of detachment • Negative effects: Severe dissociation, paranoid thoughts, unpleasant hallucinations, cardiovascular symptoms, can cause nausea and vomiting, confusion, muscle ache, psychosis, effects can take up to 2 hours to kick in so risk of double dosing, risk of serotonin toxicity, active dose is very low, fear/panic, loss of body control, varying degrees of potency. How might someone present under the influence?

Depressants Examples: Alcohol, Xanax, Solvents, Nitrous Oxide, Heroin, Cannabis • Positive effects: Physical relaxation, sedation, loss of inhibitions, enhanced sex drive, can ease stimulant comedowns (parachuting), increase dopamine levels. • Negative effects: Depress the central nervous system, slow down breathing & heart rate, drowsiness. Dizziness, nausea, vomiting, constipation, tolerance and respiratory depression. You can become physically and psychologically dependent with extended use, easy to overdose, especially when combined with other depressants. How might someone present under the influence?

Class Drug Possession A Crack cocaine, ecstasy Up to 7 years in (MDMA), heroin, LSD, magic prison, an unlimited mushrooms, methadone, fine or both methamphetamine (crystal meth) B Amphetamines, barbiturates, Up to 5 years in cannabis, codeine, ketamine, prison, an unlimited methylphenidate (Ritalin), fine or both synthetic cannabinoids, synthetic cathinones (eg mephedrone, methoxetamine) C Anabolic steroids, benzodiazepines (diazepam), gamma hydroxybutyrate (GHB), gamma-butyrolactone (GBL), piperazines (BZP), khat Supply and production Up to life in prison, an unlimited fine or both Up to 14 years in prison, an unlimited fine or both Up to 2 years in Up to 14 years in prison, an unlimited fine or both (except fine or both anabolic steroids - it’s not an offence to possess them for personal use)

Key messages from Police. • These sentences for drugs are maximum sentences and everyone, young or old, could be given them by the courts. • • • Like all offences that young people commit Police will look at the circumstances around the offence and make a decision on what will happen. The Police would like to divert young person away from the criminal justice system if they can and give them some sort of alternative outcome for the offence. These alternative outcomes will always have an element of education in it. • Reporting concerns: – 101 or on line through the Sussex police website. – confidential reports the best place would be crimestoppers 0800 555 111. • Building intelligence supports the Police to make arrests required

Sea safety – key messages • Swimming and alcohol/drugs don’t mix • Tombstoning (jumping from piers and groins) is really dangerous at anytime • The sea is unpredictable, even strong swimmers can get into difficulties in strong ‘invisible’ currents

• https: //www. brighton-hove. gov. uk/content/leisure-andlibraries/seafront/sea-safety • Alternative thrills? What can we offer YP so that they steer away from this type of risky behaviour?

Child sexual exploitation • Child sexual exploitation (CSE) is a type of sexual abuse. Children in exploitative situations and relationships receive something such as gifts, money or affection as a result of performing sexual activities or others performing sexual activities on them. • Children or young people may be tricked into believing they're in a loving, consensual relationship. They might be invited to parties and given drugs and alcohol. They may also be groomed and exploited online. • Some children and young people are trafficked into or within the UK for the purpose of sexual exploitation. Sexual exploitation can also happen to young people in gangs

County Lines and what to look for. • What is County Lines • Signs to Look out for. • Vulnerability, Violence and Exploitation • www. nspcc. org. uk/preventing-abuse/childabuse-and-neglect/grooming/

Scenario’s and Feedback

Accessing support and working together: In School: • • Pastoral team – Tutor – Head of Year – Safe guarding lead School / School Nurse DASH work EMHWB work External to school: Health Promotion: http: //wheretogofor. co. uk/services/subs tance-misuse/ Young people and their families ru -ok@brighton-hove. gov. uk Adults: www. pavilions. org. uk

Thank you for your time this evening. Please complete the evaluation before you go (we promise its quite quick!) Any questions: Please just ask or email timclarke@varndean. co. uk Helen. Emerson@brighton-hove. gov. uk