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Abstract
An exploratory study examined what professionals needed to support their responses to volatile substance misuse (VSM). Many respondents saw VSM as a problem of unknown dimensions and were uncertain about how to tackle it. Resources for treatment and prevention were seen as outdated. Workers were concerned that VSM was becoming more common among adults, supporting an indication found in a study of VSM-related deaths. Evidence-informed treatment protocols, information on working with clients, assessments of local needs, and the evaluation of existing approaches to VSM would improve the response. A further phase of the research will be reported in 2012.
THE AUTHORS
Richard Ives, M.Phil., founded the company educari, which assists professionals who work with children and young people. He focuses particularly on drugs, alcohol, and gambling issues. His interest in VSM dates back to the 1980s and he has published widely on the topic; he is currently working with the UK VSM charity, Re-Solv, to help them improve their services to professional workers with young people. He has developed a number of educational resources and undertaken project evaluations in the UK and in other countries (working for the United Nations and other international bodies). He has worked with the Council of Europe Pompidou Group on many activities, including the development and implementation of a life skills program.