Young People's Drug and Alcohol Service - Croydon

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We provide non-judgmental, fact-based, information and support surrounding drugs and alcohol and the associated risks. Read about our training offering below.

If you're a professional who works with young people and children in Croydon, we're here to help. Here's our training delivered fresh to you and your team!

  • Our service offer and how to make a referral
  • Trends in young people's substance use
  • Drug awareness workshop

To book our training sessions, you can visit our Eventbrite page.

If you'd like to learn more about any of these sessions, please contact our team at: [email protected].

Our training

    • Session duration: Half a day

    Our service offer and how to make a referral

    Learn how to refer someone to us and how we can support them.

    This session will cover:

    • Substances commonly used by young people.
    • The different support pathways available for young people.
    • Different levels of drug use.
    • How we can support children and families.
    • Our ‘What’s the score’ screening tool.

    The outcomes of this training session are:

    • To understand how to complete a referral.
    • To understand the different available pathways.
    • To be able to identify hidden harm.
    • To understand the role of our Children and Families Worker.
    • Session duration: Half a day

    Trends in young people’s substance use

    Learn about the most common substances used by young people.

    This session will cover:

    • Commonly used substances.
    • Why people use substances.
    • What harm reduction is.
    • Different sources for information on substance use
    • Trends in how people purchase substances.
    • Local and national statistics on young people’s substance use.

    The outcomes of this training session are:

    • An understanding of commonly used substances and poly drug use.
    • To understand what harm reduction is and its benefits.
    • Knowledge of available wrap-around services that can support young people who are struggling with substance use.
    • Drug awareness workshop

      Bespoke drug awareness workshops

      We offer bespoke drug awareness workshops on the following:

      • Cannabis (edibles, THC and CBD vaping)
      • Nitrous oxide
      • Alcohol/binge drinking
      • Lean (codeine/Promethazine cough medicine)
      • Pinger (ketamine, cocaine, ecstasy and MDMA)

      Each of these workshops include advice for reducing the risk of harm and helping people to stay safe.

    The team

    Our team consists of three Young People’s Resilience Workers, two Transitional Workers and one Children and Families Worker.

    What does each worker do?

    Young People Resilience Workers:

    • Support under 18s around their substance use, leading in community-delivered workshops and sessions in schools.
    • They also offer 1-2-1 sessions to young people in education, alternative provisions, youth justice and child social care.

    Transitional Workers:

    • Support young adults aged 18-24.
    • Offer in-reach and targeted outreach alongside colleagues in the sexual health and voluntary sector.
    • Work together with emergency housing and supported housing.  

    Children and Families Practitioners:

    • Deliver age-appropriate interventions to children and young people under the age of 18 who have been impacted by the substance or alcohol use of a family member, carer or loved one.

    What happens after a referral?

    Once a young person is referred, we will match them with a worker. Together, they will complete an assessment and create a recovery plan to identify the young person’s goals. Each young person will be offered six to twelve 1-2-1 sessions depending on their individual needs.