What is efficient needs assessment? How can needs assessment inform an alcohol and drug education programme?

1. Understanding your pupils’ needs

2. Who we are
 Funded by the Department for Education
 Run by Mentor, in partnership with DrugScope
and Adfam
 Supporting secondary schools, primary schools,
FE Colleges and anyone working in formal or
informal settings with children and young
people.

3. Drug Education Practitioners Forum
• Membership benefits include:
– Exchange of information, ideas and
opinions on drug education
– Sharing and disseminating good practice
– Raising awareness of drug education
resources, projects and initiatives
– Providing a voice for drug education
practitioners
– Maintaining a profile for drug education
and through contributions to other
relevant groups including
national Government
• Membership is free and open to all those
involved in supporting and providing drug
education in formal and informal settings.
• To join the forum please contact Carol
Marsh: carolm@drugscope.org.uk

5.  Delivering effective alcohol and drug
education in the classroom
– Standards to shape the
development and delivery of
alcohol and drug education.
 The school context for effective drug
education
– Standards to develop a protective
and supportive environment, high
quality drug education, backed up
by clear school rules and support
provision for pupils with additional
needs.
 Working with schools as an external
provider.
– Standards to evidence strong
safeguarding procedures, how
staff or volunteers are supported,
and developing productive
relationships with schools

6. How schools can use the quality
standards?
The quality standards will help schools and
practitioners to:
Identify key requirements for effective alcohol and
drug education;
Self-assess their position in relation to alcohol and
drug education;
Understand the vital steps to build on their
existing competences and improve the provision
of alcohol and drug education.

7. Effective alcohol and drug education:
 is needs-led and age-appropriate, putting the pupil at
the centre;
 is an interactive process of learning;
 enables pupils to explore their own and other people’s
attitudes and values;
 challenges misperceptions about the prevalence and
acceptability of alcohol and drug use among peers; and
 develops pupils’ personal and social skills to manage
risk, solve problems and communicate effectively.

8. Needs assessment
A needs assessment aimed at informing an
alcohol and drug education and prevention
programme should be structured to address the
following areas:
The current situation in relation to alcohol and
drug knowledge and use in the target group;
The risk and protective factors in the target
group;
The consequences of alcohol and drug use in the
target group.

9. How to assess the current situation
Accessing and analysing existing national and
local sources of data
Carrying out informal observation of the
school community
Carrying out formal needs assessment
activities (including group workshops,
interviews with pupils and school surveys)

10. Risk and protective factors
Protective factors Risk factors
1. Belonging to a
vulnerable group
1. Social and Cultural
Factors
1. Interpersonal and
Individual Risk
factors
Positive
temperament
Intellectual ability
Positive and
supportive family
environment
Social support system
Caring relationship
with at least one
adult
In education/
employment/
training
Looked after children
School non-attenders
Mental health
problems
Drug misuse by
parents
Abuse within the
family
Homeless
Young offenders
Young sex workers
High levels of
neighbourhood
poverty and decay
High levels of
neighbourhood crime
Easy drug availability
Widespread social
acceptance of alcohol
and drug use
Lack of knowledge
and perception of
drug-related risks
Physiological and
psychological factors
Family dysfunction
Behavioural
difficulties
Academic problems
Association with
peers who use
alcohol and drugs
Early onset of
tobacco smoking
Early onset of alcohol
and drug use

11. Where should teachers begin?
Informal observation of pupils
Through what pupils say teachers may notice specific
issues, harms or risk factors that may lead to risky
behaviours. For example, this could be realising a pupil is
a young carer, or that a pupil is looked after (perhaps by
a kinship carer), or noticing certain risky attitudes
towards substance misuse.
Trustful and open atmosphere in the
classroom to ensure pupils’ responses are
honest

12. Universal needs assessment
General overview and understanding of the overall
target group:
Risk and protective factors
Knowledge
Values and beliefs
Behaviours

13. Key questions
 What do our pupils know about alcohol and
drugs (and related issues)?
 What are the misconceptions (including
levels of use and acceptability) related to
alcohol and drugs, which we need to correct?
 What are the risk and protective factors in
pupils’ lives?

14. Draw and write/ draw and tell
Explores pupils’ knowledge,
understanding and/or
values;
Allows understanding peers’
values and beliefs;
Allows assessment and
class-based research to
inform class-specific
programme planning;
Does not constrain pupils’
responses.
(Image: A Way In: Williams, Wetton and Moon, 1989, Jugs and Herrings)

15. Needs assessment, assessment for
learning and assessment of learning...
(Image: McWhirter, J.M., Collins, M., Wetton, N.M., Bryant I., and Newton Bishop J.A. (2000) Evaluating safe in the sun, a curriculum
programme for primary schools Health Education Research: Theory and Practice 15(2) 203-217).

16. Surveys and questionnaires
Explore pupils’ behaviours and attitudes;
Collect detailed quantitative and qualitative
data around pupils’ behavioural and lifestyle
choices;
Allow comparison of collected data to national
statistics or previous years’ surveys;
Highlight schools’ strengths and weaknesses,
or existing gaps in the programme of alcohol
and drug education.

17. From needs assessment to individual
screening
During needs assessments pupils may disclose
information and concerns that may be considered
as signs of serious issues in their families and
individual lives.
If this happens, teachers should follow child
safeguarding procedures outlined in the school
safeguarding policies.

18. Screening tools
 Help teachers and those working with children and young people
identify whether they have alcohol or drug related issues or needs.
 The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE)
recommend the use of “existing screening and assessment tools to
identify vulnerable and disadvantaged children and young people
aged under 25 who are misusing – or who are at risk of misusing –
substances”.
(PH4 Interventions to reduce substance misuse among vulnerable young people:
guidance 28 March 2007)
 These tools include the Common Assessment Framework and those
available from the National Treatment Agency [now Public Health
England].

19. Why is needs assessment important?
Allows to plan appropriate and relevant
programmes of alcohol and drug education;
Enables to meet all pupils’ needs – avoiding
stigmatisation of the most vulnerable;
Enables to implement a programme that builds
on positive social norms and values;
Enables to implement a programme that
develops those skills that pupils will need to
address and overcome difficult situations (also in
relation to substance misuse).

20. Further resources
• European drug prevention quality standards,
European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and
Drug Addiction (EMCDDA)
http://www.emcdda.europa.eu/publications/
manuals/prevention-standards
• The Prevention Hub, Mentor International
http://preventionhub.org/

21. Contact us
adepis@mentoruk.org
http://mentor-adepis.org/
@MentorADEPIS
Mentor-ADEPIS
020 7553 9920