Boozebusters

Owner / Author:

NHS, Fife - Dianne Earley Senior Health Promotion Officer

Organisation:

Health

Contact Details:

Dunfermline and West Fife improving Health team
DWF CHP
House 4
Lynebank Hospital
Halbeath Road
Dunfermline
Fife
KY11 4UW

Tel: 01383  565497

Dianne.earley@faht.scot.nhs.uk

Strategy / Initiative Name:

Boozebusters

Local Authority(ies):

Fife

Group Targeted:

S2 Secondary high School pupils aged 12-13 year olds.

Crime Type / Violence Activity:

Anti-social Behaviour
Drugs/Alcohol Related
Other

Level(s):

Primary
Secondary

Aims:

    • Teaching young people about the effects of alcohol on the body.
    • Teach young people some first aid techniques that will help them in the event of a situation.
    • Raise awareness of the danges of underage drinking in relation to personal/community safety and health risks
    • We aim to equip young people with personal skills to enable them to deal with a range of scenarios theymay find themselves involved in.
    • We inform young people about the local services available to them, including services established for young people
    • We want them to consider their own behaviour and the effect this can have on their own communities.
    • Challenge youth attitudes and behaviours in relation to underage drinking
    • Improve community safety for young people and local community in relation to youth drinking
    • Reduce binge drinking by young people in the area.
    • Improve the health of those in the neediest areas of Fife.
    • Improve working relationships between organisations
    • Increase joint working opportunities
    • Improve relationships with young people and reduce any fears/barriers to accessing health or police services
    • Also improve the take up of and involvement of young people in community programs aimed specifically for them
    • Reduce purchase and sales of alcohol to young people in Fife.
All project content compliments curriculum for 13/14 year olds in school, NICE guidelines, plan for action on alcohol update and Health Promoting Schools

Approach:

A drama performance is given by the local further education college, which all agencies have been involved in writing and developing. The drama explores various different potential situtations and scenarios related to under age drinking. This is followed by  Informal facilitated workshops which encourage young people to consider the cultural, behavioural and social influences and implications around under age drinking with particualr reference to youth anti social behaviour, community safety and health and social outcomes.
 

Project's Methodology:

Project is developed yearly with the involvement of all partner agencies.Once funding is secured, (previously offered by the community safety partnerships and DIAGEO but now also hopefully secured from the DAAT too) project planning takes place. Planning the event requires close work with the childrens and young person’s worker for each chp area, they are responsible for coordinating the project, in particular close liaison is required with the school nursing teams (who manage the project in each of their schools). Some consultation is done with small focus groups of previous S2 pupil participants, this is used to update the script.
The local further education college ammends the script and employs actors but also uses current acting students as well.. Coordination of all the school dates is required and fixed dates are set for the performance in each school. Transport of students/actors and technical equiptment is arranged.
Facilitators are briefed in sessions offered by the local coordinaters. They are also given out a briefing pack. This has a guide to running the workshops, including details of all the messages and information we need to discuss with the pupils.  It also has various leaflets and information detials of services which can help and engage with young people on issues such as alcohola dn drugs etc.
Information cards are also funded by the community safety partnership and these are given out to all young people (over 4000 in Fife participating) as the end of the sessions in schools.

Other Agencies Involved:

Fife Constabulary, Voluntary agencies, DAAT, Dunfermline and West Fife CHP ,Fife Council ,NHS FIfe

Evaluation Process:

Evaluated through questionnaires and  focus groups with young people/pupils,facilitators, agencies and schools.
 

Evaluation Impact:

Evaluations report  that young people are retaining information, finding the method of delivery effective and memorable (drama), engaging in debate, learnring about the effects on communities and individuals of excessive drinking,  they  understand the impact of underage drinking and potential community safety issues, learned about the health impacts, debated the Scottish culture on alcohol etc aLearned about first aid techniques.
2007 report due in February which gives much more details.
.

Evaluation Result:

Effective

Criticism:

Facilitators require more trianing in drugs,alcohol and health issues.
The script needs to be a bit tighter and more in tune with local young people’s issues
Research could be carried out over a  longer period to assess whether the project has a long term impact.

Potential:

The project is now a Fife wide initiative for the first time. The project has the ability to tie in more with the education curriculum for S2 pupils. We are also aiming to develop an educational resource pack for schools and community groups which will reinforce and sustain the Boozebusters messages both
In school and in the community.