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Drugs and Teen Use     What Schools Can Do      What Parents Can Do      What Parent Volunteers Can Do     What Parent Leaders Can Do

Ideas For School Staff

Review Prevention Research

Review Treatment & Rehabilitation Research

Improve Instruction

Identify, Counsel, Refer Students

Create Safe, Caring Schools

Improve Student Engagement

Involve Parents

School Staff Can Identify-Counsel-Refer Students

This series of web pages describes how schools and school staff can work with parents to prevent substance abuse. This page describes steps that schools can take to ensure that the students in their school can be identified, counselled and referred to treatment.

It should be noted that the report Best Practices: Treatment and Rehabilitation for Youth with Substance Use Problems (Health Canada, 2001) specifically referred to schools when discussing better practices in treating youth. They said:

“An emphasis on the physical presence of program staff at locations where youth congregate and provision of direct support and training to staff working with youth serving agencies (particularly schools) are considered critical elements of an outreach strategy.”

Go to these resources for more information on best practices:

-                    Strengthening drug education in school communities - Best Practice Handbook and A Practical Guide (New Zealand Government) includes a Practical Guide and Best Practices Handbook

-                    Principles of Drug Addiction Treatment: A Research Based Guide (NIDA)

-                    Position Statement on Early Intervention Services (National Association of School Psychologists)

-                    Health Services in Schools: Building Interdisciplinary Partnerships. ERIC Digest (ERIC Clearinghouse on Counselling and Student Services)

-                    Adolescent Substance Abuse: Counseling Issues
(ERIC Clearinghouse on Counselling and Personnel Services)

-                    Assessment & Screening (UCLA Center for Mental Health in School)

-                    Amélioration de l'expérience de l'enfant et du jeune dans l'école d'aujourd'hui (Canadian Psychiatric Association) 

-                    Enhancing the Experience of Children and Youth in Today's Schools (Canadian Psychiatric Association)

-                    Mental Health and School-Based Health Centers (UCLA Center for Mental Health in School)

Comprehensive & Multifaceted Guidelines for Mental Health in Schools (UCLA Center for Mental Health in School)

Compendium of Best Practices in Preventing SA among Youth

(Health Canada)

Best Practices: Treatment and Rehabilitation for Youth with Substance Use Problems

(Health Canada)

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