The Base Youth Centre & Childcare Facility

“Illegal/problem drug abuse, a support group perspective”

Presentation to the Joint Committee on Health and Children 15th September 2011

Presented by

Sharan Kelly(Chief Executive Officer)

Amel Yacef(Youth Health Coordinator)

James Hurley(Young person)

The context

National strategies and policies emphasising prevention and education:

Limiting accessibility to specialist services

Recommendation

Strategies to be identified to ensure a comprehensive inclusion of a youth centred approach in future policy

On the ground

Profile: Predominantly males Low social economical background Low levels of education attainment

(poor literacy and numeracy) Poor levels of physical and mental

health Generational history of offending

behaviour and substance misuse

Trends14 to 15 years old

Substance Issues

Alcohol, Cannabis, exposure to Headshops products (ambrosia and bath salts), experimentation with street bought methadone, Valium, cocaine

Using socially, recreationally bordering on nightly use Poly drug use (they very rarely use a substance in isolation)Poor school attendance and high risk of disengaging from mainstream educationFirst offending behaviours/ coming to the attention of the GardaiMinor possession/ holding charges

16 to 17 years old

Substance Issues

Alcohol, Cannabis, Amphetamines, crack cocaine, sedatives, hallucinogens, opiates, head shops products

Noted increase in the frequency of use and the doses used/Binge use/ overdose levels in some cases/ Poly drug useTotal disengagement with mainstream educationIncreased and strong involvement of JLO, YPP or justice system (Car theft, Grievous Bodily Harm (GBH), assaults charges)Noted resentment towards the Gardai and feeling unfairly targeted by Gardai and justice system

18 to 25 years old

Substance Issues

Alcohol, cannabis, heroin, cocaine, amphetamines (and other substances named above)

Most young people in this age bracket engage with us at point of crisisReluctance to acknowledge correlation between substance misuse and problematic behaviour until crisis stageMany engaged with probation services and generally more than two outstanding fines/warrants. And Total disengagement of education mainstream or other wise and refusal to reengageIntroduction of heroin (no cases of injecting have been reported)

Additional issues

Increase in suicide and self harm Increase in street violence (fire arms) Increase in levels of domestic

violence and child protection reports Homelessness Breakdown between community and

Gardai

Recommendations

Complexity of the issue needs to reflected in policy

Young people in lower socio economical environments are at increased risk of problematic substance misuse at a younger age

Youth centred, cohesive and holistic approach

Flexible and inclusive inter agency approach

The need for the youth setting to evolve from prevention and education to harm reduction and intervention

Need for support from specialist agencies

The Youth Health Programme

Visionary HSE and Base initiative to bridge the gap between young people and

specialist services

Challenges

Lack of understanding and awareness from both sides

Rigidity of the structures Young people’s voice lost

Solutions

Reviewing structures (more flexible) Building the capacity of both sides Building the capacity of young

people Youth work, programmes and

services Inter agency partnership, family and

community involvement

Respecting and listening to the young people and

their families

St. Johns Secondary Schoolmy old school

Ballyfermot is a nice area

This is what you don’t see

Conclusion

Acknowledging the youth setting as gatekeepers (access, engaging and retaining young people)

Cohesive, holistic and flexible partnership between all stakeholders

Build the capacity of existing models

It is a different way of working

not a different budget

Thank you