National survey of drugs and alcohol provisions within further education colleges in England in 2006

Abstract

The potential for a contribution to be made by further education colleges to reduce drug- and alcohol-related harm has recently been recognized at a national level. Little is known, however, about the extent of actual drug- and alcohol-related activities taking place. A national survey for England was undertaken via a semi-structured interview administered by telephone, targeting all medium to large colleges and achieving a 92% response rate. Non-curriculum student welfare staff were identified to be widely available and most commonly involved in activities such as referral, provision of leaflets, with teaching staff delivering formal curriculum and tutorial-based work. External agencies were involved with three quarters of colleges, with a similar proportion of colleges also having a drug policy in place. The known contents of these policies were variable. Although drug and alcohol use were not generally viewed as being greatly problematic within the colleges, it is highly likely that there exist opportunities for early interventions that have not yet been well-explored.

• Further education
• drug prevention
• harm reduction
• alcohol
• drugs
• young people