The Tackling Substance Misuse in Schools Conference 2024

Overview

It is important for young people to make well-informed and safe choices when it comes to alcohol and drug use. Schools play a crucial part in providing education and awareness to ensure pupils’ have a clear understanding of the risks of addictive substances. While the Government’s decision to ban single-use vapes in the UK is a step in the right direction, there is still much work to be done to protect young people from harmful health outcomes caused by substance abuse. By taking a whole-school approach to preventing substance misuse, schools can equip students with the skills and resilience they need to make healthy decisions.

In 2023, 20.5% of children had tried vaping, up from 15.8% in 2022 and 13.9% in 2020 before the first COVID lockdown (Action on Smoking and Health, June 2023)
There were 11,326 people under the age of 18 in contact with alcohol and drug services between April 2021 and March 2022, according to the UK Government
According to an NHS survey carried out in 2022, 57% of pupils who had recently smoked, drank alcohol and taken drugs, reported low levels of life satisfaction

Join us at The Tackling Substance Misuse in Schools Conference 2024 to hear the latest updates on tackling substance misuse in schools from leading experts. This event will showcase a series of best practice case studies covering a range of topics including delivering high-quality drug education and awareness classes, developing a whole-school zero-tolerance approach to substance abuse, and preventing vaping in schools. You will also have the opportunity to network with senior colleagues from a variety of schools and discuss strategies to prevent drug and alcohol usage.

Why Attend:
✓ Hear national strategies and the latest guidance on tackling substance misuse in schools
✓ Learn from a series of best practice case studies covering innovative ways to prevent drug usage
✓ Gain the opportunity to network with senior colleagues from across a range of schools
✓ 4 hours of CPD points towards your yearly quota

For more information or to make a booking please call 0330 058 4285

Agenda

09.00

Online Registration
10.00

Chair’s Opening Remarks

Dr Lucy Webb, Reader, Manchester Metropolitan University (CONFIRMED)
10.10
Keynote: National Strategies to Tackle Substance Misuse in Schools
- Sharing the latest trends in substance abuse among young people and advice on reducing usage
- School-based prevention and early intervention techniques to produce a sustained decrease in demand for drugs
- Providing services and resources to prevent young people from picking up substance dependency issues
Sarah Brighton, CEO, Hope UK (CONFIRMED)
10.30
Keynote: Embedding Drug and Alcohol Awareness and Safety into the Curriculum
- Early intervention and preventative approaches to divert children and young people away from substance abuse
- Tools and resources to ensure drug awareness classes are engaging and improve pupils’ understanding of the effects and risks of using substances
- Creating safe spaces where students feel comfortable asking questions about illicit substances to help them make safe choices and reduce harm
- Running workshops to equip pupils with the confidence and resilience to resist peer pressure around drug usage
Fiona Spargo-Mabbs, Director and Founder, DSM Foundation (CONFIRMED)
10.50

Case Study: Working in Partnership to Prevent the Harmful Effects of Drugs and Alcohol in Schools

Sade Afolabi, National Executive Member, NASUWT (CONFIRMED)
11.10

Question and Answers
11.30

Comfort Break
11.50

Breakout Networking: Overcoming Obstacles to Tackle Substance Misuse in Schools

This session will give you the opportunity to meet other attendees of the event. Share the main challenges you face in preventing pupils from smoking, drinking and using drugs. Learn about policies and strategies peers from across the sector have successfully implemented in their schools to reduce substance misuse.
12.20
Case Study: Providing Support for Pupils with Substance Dependency Issues
- Enabling staff to spot the signs of substance dependency and sensitively refer pupils to relevant support services
- Toolkits for helping young people recognise if they may be reliant on substances and encouraging them to seek help
- Engaging with parents to ensure students facing addiction have wrap-around support at home and school
- Guidance on identifying and safeguarding young carers who have family members with substance abuse issues
Ben Davis, Headteacher, St. Ambrose Barlow RC High School (CONFIRMED)

Anna Goddard, Designated Safeguarding Lead, St. Ambrose Barlow RC High School (CONFIRMED)
12.40
Case Study: Deterring Young People from Taking Up Smoking and Vaping
- Examining the recent trends of smoking and vaping amongst youth
- Sharing most effective practices and knowledge about preventing youth smoking and vaping
- INTENT: Delivering smoking and vaping prevention materials in schools with Evidence to Impact
- Guidance on developing school policies on vaping and supporting people to stop smoking and vaping
Dr Katherine East, Research Fellow, King’s College London (CONFIRMED)
13.00
Case Study: Guidance on Engaging with Pupils and Parents About Substance Misuse
- Providing staff with best practice approaches in teaching high-quality drug education lessons
- Ideas for facilitating a school culture that promotes health through equipping staff with resources and training on teaching effective PSHE lessons
- Implementing substance misuse education into the curriculum in an engaging and accessible way
- Key tips on engaging with parents and carers when teaching about alcohol and drug education
Joanna Feast, Independent PSHE Consultant, Clean Well-Being (CONFIRMED)
13.20

Questions and Answers
13.40

Chair’s Summary and Close

*Programme subject to change

Who Should Attend

Who Should Attend?

This Conference is open to Public, Private and Third Sectors.

For more information or to make a booking please call 0330 058 4285

Sponsorship

Raise your Profile, Showcase Your Solutions, Generate New Business

If your products, services, and solutions can support our audiences in their roles, and you want to make connections and generate new business with key stakeholders, decision makers, and influencers, then please contact Chris and Ali today at sponsorship@governmentevents.co.uk or complete our enquiry form here and we will contact you.

Benefits of partnering with us include:

Brand awareness: Be seen by a highly targeted and engaged audience before, during, and after the conference.
Lead generation: Meet the decision-makers and influencers responsible for making purchasing decisions on cyber security and data protection.
Thought leadership: Position your organisation and experts as thought leaders and the ‘go to’ experts.
Networking: Make valuable connections with potential new customers and partners across government and the wider public sector
Grow your business: Reach decision makers in a single event on just one day and in one location (with no travel/accommodation required), saving you time and money.
Gain valuable insights: Hear the latest from key stakeholders in government, and across the public and voluntary sectors.

IMPORTANT: There are only a small number of sponsorship opportunities available to ensure maximum exposure and ROI – contact us today to secure your place.

All packages include:

Extensive branding – before, during, after the conference
15-20 min morning speaking session with Q&A
Virtual stand to showcase your organisation, products, services, and solutions
Opportunities to network during the day
Half to full page ad in the E-Guide
Banner ad on the virtual events platform
Announcement post on LinkedIn
Announcement within delegate communication
1-3 delegate places (worth upto £1,947)
Access to the delegate details after the event
Ongoing exposure through OnDemand (coming soon)

For more information and discuss your specific objectives, please contact Chris and Ali at sponsorship@governmentevents.co.uk or complete our enquiry form here

Virtual vs F2F

Whilst F2F provide better options for networking, there are many distinct advantages of sponsoring our online conferences including:

Wider geographical reach of delegates and a different audience who prefer online to f2f
Lower sponsorship package costs
No travel/accommodation
Less time out of the office
No stand materials required (lower costs)
1 of only 2 sponsors involved – less competition on the day
Prime speaking slot in the morning of the conference including Q&A – less distractions and easier for delegates to hear/absorb information
Receive all delegate data after the conference to follow-up directly with those who attend and don’t attend (small % but still key stakeholders)
Ongoing exposure via OnDemand access (coming soon)

To find out more and discuss your specific objectives, please contact Chris and Ali at sponsorship@governmentevents.co.uk or complete our enquiry form here

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