Tackling the issue of drugs in our society is complex, and involves a multitude of agencies, approaches, and methods. I have always been very clear about my wholehearted commitment to prevention through education and early intervention in order to divert young people away from illegal drugs and harmful substances. That’s why, earlier this year, I funded The Talkabout Trust to design and pilot drug education resources with children in Dorset. These materials covered issues including Nitrous Oxide, vaping, MDMA, ketamine, cannabis, and cannabis derivatives, and were delivered via a short series of lessons for Year 9 students, an animated short film, teacher training, student assembly and interactive games. You can learn more about that project here - Release: PCC funds innovative drug education programme in Dorset. Today, I have invited Helena Conibear, CEO of The Talkabout Trust to explain more about the important work they do in Dorset.

"The Talkabout Trust is a Dorset charity based in Poundbury and for the past 15 years we have been supporting young people between the ages of nine and 25, helping them to make safer choices around alcohol, vaping, cannabis, and other illegal substances. Our work is to inform, give facts and build knowledge and resilience, equipping young people with the skills to make informed life choices.

We look at the issues from individual use to a community-wide impact to broaden the understanding of what individual use might lead to. This is tackled through three approaches; the first is providing interactive tools for young people – whether that’s through assemblies, workshops, making animations or our websites designed specifically for certain age ranges. We want them to come up with the answers themselves, using games, role plays and other activities.

The second approach is what we call ‘train the trainer’. This can apply to teachers, youth leaders or anyone working with young people. A huge number of professionals working with young people have limited knowledge around drugs, alcohol, and vaping, so our role is to provide support through building their confidence and subject specific knowledge on vaping or nicotine products for instance, or on how to make education more interactive, enjoyable, and impactful. Those in these positions of trust can really turn young people’s lives around, so our work in any education settings such as pupil referral units, special schools, alternative education settings, youth clubs, sports clubs, and children's homes to name a few, is very important.

The third aspect, which is the hardest, is working with parents and carers. And that's building their confidence and knowledge and saying how important what we call a ‘tough love’ parenting approach is; setting boundaries, being good role models, knowing where their children are, not being afraid of having conversations and having the answers to questions. These are sensitive topics, and we are always very careful in the work we do to be stigma informed and choose sensitive language which never blames, only supports.

Advice for parents

My message to any parents, families, carers, or guardians would be that if you have concerns, if you see unusual behaviours such your teenager or young person suddenly having more money than they should have or they're wearing new trainers or there are packages coming through the post, act on it. There are very, very good places to go for help and support and while sometimes it may seem that you’re not getting anywhere fast, you must start by asking for help. Coming to a charity like us, Escapeline or Childline, the NSPCC or mental health charities, we can help point you in the right direction.

Busting misconceptions

In relation to Dorset, the specific issues we encounter are predominantly around alcohol, vaping and cannabis use but grooming and county lines are a significant issue in rural areas. There's a misguided belief those sort of behaviours only happen with gangs in big cities like London, Manchester, or Birmingham, but the tentacles of crime unfortunately extend to every single area. That’s why equipping teachers and professionals around safeguarding, knowing how to report and support is so important. One issue which has been increasing is vaping and the use of nicotine pouches. In some cases, we've got children as young as seven trying their first vape. Vaping is also linked to county lines as this is how older teenagers are luring teenagers into doing jobs for them or getting involved in activities.

We work tirelessly to address confusion and myths around illegal drugs, tackling misconceptions from younger teenagers particularly over the perceptions regarding the numbers of people who experiment. The truth is that these numbers are far less than most realise, so it is key they understand that not everyone is doing it and know the implications and impact these drugs and substances can have on you – physically, emotionally and on their futures.

We do this without being preachy and without scaremongering but through support and understanding. We talk about how to get a natural dopamine high, for example, which can be as simple as spending time with pets or sport or good food, while also recognising that stress and anxiety are a normal part of life, and there are other ways of dealing with these feelings.

Through our ongoing relationship with the Police and Crime Commissioner, we look forward to making even more of a difference for the young people of Dorset."

Thank you to Helena and to The Talkabout Trust for the tireless work you are doing to help the young people of Dorset. I strongly believe education and diversion are key to keeping young people away from illegal drugs and harmful behaviours. And thanks to the work being carried out by The Talkabout Trust, we are deepening our understanding of what education works best and where. Together, we can all play our part in keeping our young people safe and healthy.

David Sidwick

Dorset Police and Crime Commissioner