Courses
This section includes a brief synopsis of each course. For full details,
click on the course title or navigate using the right hand column.
General Courses
Core Drugs Awareness
This course is for:
- new workers and volunteers with little or no previous experience
- mental health workers who need to expand their drugs knowledge
- workers or volunteers with knowledge around a specific drug but needing to widen their knowledge and experience
- workers in need of a refresher or to 'formalise' previous learning
The course provides a good foundation for
building further knowledge, and offers an essential starting point for
anyone encountering drug use in the course of their work. The course can
be offered as a one or two day course.
The course includes: basic drugs information: appearance, effects, cost,
method us use, legal framework, social framework, risks of use.
Drugs Awareness - Enhanced Skills
This course is for workers with previous drugs training experience. It
assumes familiarity with more common drugs and their effects. The course
looks at drugs and drug issues in more detail. This course is flexible
and can be tailored to reflect the needs of the group and to explore locally
relevant issues.
The
course includes more depth on routes of administration, mechanisms of
action, concepts such as tolerance and withdrawal and polydrug use.
Drugs and Dopamine: dependency, depression and diet
This
one-day module offers a crash course in the brain-chemistry of drugs.
It looks at how drugs impact on brain chemistry, link to dependency and
mental health and explores practical interventions to support recovery.
Especially useful for workers who want to incorporate elements of brain chemistry in key or group work interventions.
Drugs and Mental Wellbeing
The
closest we offer to a "dual diagnosis" course. This course looks at the
relationship between substance use and mental health. It explores
concepts such as "dual-diagnosis." We look at how how drug use
and mental health can interact, examining the "chicken and egg" nature
of this relationship. The course looks at legal and social issues,
potential interventions and supporting recovery .
Drugs and Brain Chemistry
How do we think drugs work within the brain? What do
drugs really do at a brain chemical level? And how do we use this information
practically. This course is intended to make the subject of neuropharmacology
accessible for workers, and enable them to understand key terms, the main
neurotransmitters, and the impact of substances on these brain chemicals.
This two day course is aimed at experienced workers who are confident
with the key drugs ad want to enhance their knowledge and skills. Workers
will need previous substance misuse training.
Substance Specific Modules
Lots of workers, who had attended lots of courses, still said that they
didn't feel that they 'understood' key drugs. In a way this made sense.
For many who had had done foundation drugs courses, they may only have
spent an hour or two on a specific drug, if that.
The following courses were designed to fill that gap: workers could spend
a whole day (or two) immersed in a specific drug - and look at it from
many different angles. So in these substance specific courses, workers
get the chance to explore the history, pharmacology, methods of use, risks,
effects, scope for dependency and treatment options with a range of drugs.
These courses are a real treat, even for experienced workers!
#Trending Drugs: Novel Psychoactives and (re)emerging drugsThis
is the updated NPS course. Following the Psychoactive Substances Act,
the role of legal websites and head-shops supplying a range of newer
products has reduced and there has been a drop in "designer drugs"
trying to circumvent the Misuse of Drugs Act.
This course reflects
those changes, looks at how new drugs emerged, legal responses and the
current trends including newer benzos and opiates, the role of the Dark
Web, the ongoing issue of Synthetic Cannabinoids (Spice/Mamba) and
dealing with "unknown white powders."
A flagship course, which has
been used across the UK by a large range of organisations, this course
is essential in any setting where up-to-date drugs knowledge is
required.
Alcohol
The most widely used drug in the UK, alcohol brings with an unparalleled
level of related harm. This course provides drugs workers and other professionals
with an overview of alcohol use, misuse, harm, dependency and treatment,
and allows workers to engage with alcohol use effectively and confidently.
This one day course is for workers with or without previous drugs training
or experience, who need to develop more detailed awareness of alcohol
Benzodiazepines and other GABA-nergics
This
course originally focussed on benzodiazepines but now looks at a wider
range of drugs that impact on the brain's GABA system including
benzodiazepines, GHB/GBL, Z-drugs, and GABApentinoids. The benzo
section includes emerging drugs such as Alprazolam (Xanax). The course
includes key facts, harm reduction and treatment issues.
This course is for workers with previous drugs training or experience,
who need to develop more detailed awareness of benzodiazepines and related drugs.
Cannabis and Cannabinoids
Although cannabis is the most widely-used illicit drug in the UK, many
workers are under-confident when discussing it. This course rectifies this
situation, providing the first detailed training on all aspects of cannabis
use.
The
updated course includes exploration of THC v CBD, emergent issues such
as BHO and vapes, and looks at SCRAs. It looks at harm reduction and
dependency.
This course is aimed at workers engaging with cannabis users. This includes
young recreational users through to more entrenched users. Workers will
not need to have had previous drugs training but this will be useful.
Opiates and opioids
In terms of working with problematic drug use, understanding and responding
effectively to use of opiates is of crucial importance. This module offers
experienced workers an opportunity to explore opiate use in more detail.
In turn this is intended to increase understanding, confidence and enhance
ability to support and advise opiate-using clients.
The course includes identifying the drugs, how opiates work, routes of
administration, understanding tolerance, physical dependency, psychological
dependency, withdrawal, health risks and side effects, overdose, harm reduction
strategies, detoxification regimes, treatment outcomes.
Performance and Image Drugs
While drugs agencies are keen to develop an in-depth understanding of
common drugs such as heroin and cocaine, there has been less willingness
to understand and work with Performance Enhancing Drugs such as Anabolic
Steroids.
At best, most agencies have a lay understanding of the subjecy. At worst
there are high levels of misunderstanding and mythology. This course aims
to increase workers knowledge of this growing area of work. It runs as
a one or two day course and is appropriate for all drugs workers, especially those
working in needle exchanges.
Cocaine, Crack and Other Stimulants
Without
prescribing interventions, some workers feel deskilled in working with
stimulant use. This course addresses this and is intended to increase
knowledge and skills for workers engaging with stimulant use.
The
course looks at key stimulants including cocaine, amphetamines,
emergent stimulants and caffeine. It looks at harm reduction and
indicators of harm. It explores how stimulants work on the brain, and
how this can lead to dependency and the impact on mental health. The
course looks at key interventions to support change amongst stimulant
users.
POMs and OTCs
Workers
in a custodial and housing settings highlight that a wider range of
Prescription and Pharmacy Medicines are being misused. This course
looks at this trend and highlights key compounds being misused
including codeine, antihistamines, antipsychotics, anti-depressants and
a range of othe compounds that are sought after.
Especially popular course with experienced drugs workers, housing workers and staff in custody settings.
Volatile Substances
Volatile substances are still widely used by young people and less frequently
used by older people especially where mental health issues are also present.
This module offers a rare opportunity for workers encountering volatile
substance abuse to explore the issues involved.
The course includes volatile substances, what they are, products that are
misused, how they are used, reasons for use, key risks of use, risk reduction
strategies, the law, trends, strategies for interventions, resources.
Drugs, Premises, Housing and Law
No-one in the UK offers the same comprehensive range of drugs and housing
courses, offering an unparalleled level of both legal and practical input
for both drugs agencies and housing providers. The Drugs and Housing "suite" offers
a full spectrum of courses ranging from strategic, regional development,
to the needs of front-line workers aand care takers.
Drugs Housing and Homelessness - Strategic Issues
This course looks at the relationship between drug use and housing need.
It highlights the linked problems of increased levels of drug use amongst
people who are homeless, the increased risk that this drug use poses, and
the barriers to services for people who are homeless and use drugs. It
goes on to look at the spectrums of drug use and housing and models of
housing that are inclusive rather than exclusive of drug users.
This one day courses is aimed at managers and commissioners engaged in
or developing services for drug users who are homeless or vulnerably housed.
Especially suitable for DAT housing leads, SP commissioners, housing project
managers and others with a strategic lead. This course is NOT aimed at
Front-line workers.
Drugs the law and Good Practice (one or two day course)
About the course: This course looks at drugs, drug legislation and drugs
work from a worker or an organizational perspective rather than a client
perspective. The aim is to ensure that workers are clear about their own
legal responsibilities relating to drugs, on premises, during visits and
in street settings.
This courses is for workers and managers in a variety of settings including
residential settings, tenancy sustainment workers, outreach workers, day-centres,
children's homes, and any other setting where drug-related behaviour on
premises is likely to be an issue. The course can be tailored to meet the
needs of front-line workers or managers as appropriate.
Developing drug policies
This course is aimed at service providers, and is aimed at assisting the
process of policy development and implementation. While the course cannot
provide workers with a ready made solution to their policy needs, the course
seeks to equip workers with the theory, content and process of a successful
policy. The course includes why have a policy, who should be involved in
policy construction, foundations of an effective policy, key elements of
a policy,
consulting and implementing a policy.
Working with Drug Users in Housing Settings (specialist)
About the course: After the (difficult) policy and legal work has been
undertaken, workers may feel under-skilled when it comes to working with
drug users, especially those who have complex needs related to their drug
use. Workers who have attended "basic" drugs training still may
not feel confident engaging and supporting drug users. This course addresses
this need. It looks at some of the key knowledge and skill-sets that housing
workers will find useful not just in managing drug use on site but also
supporting users and promoting change.
This is a two day courses and is appropriate for workers and managers
in housing settings working with drug users, especially injectors, dependent
users, and users engaging with treatment. Workers will need to have attended
a basic drugs awareness course previously, or have equivalent experience.
Likewise, attendance at a one or two day Drugs and The Law course is required
as this course does not address legal issues in detail. It may be possible
to construct a hybrid course which incorporates aspects of both courses.
Working with Drug Users in Housing Settings (generic)
Many housing workers do not encounter drug-related activity on a regular
basis, and may not be providing ongoing support to drug users. Their primary
concern on encountering drug related activity may be to deal with the immediate
situation appropriately, and then refer the matter on to senior colleagues
for further action as required. These workers may not need detailed information
about the nuances of the law, or about support interventions. This course
is intended to address these needs.
This one day course is for workers in generic housing settings encountering
infrequent or low-levels of drug use. Previous drugs awareness training
is useful but not essential. This course will NOT provide a good level
of drugs awareness but will ensure workers can deal safely and legally
with common situations.
The Sharp End
The safe removal of drug litter including needles, syringes, and discarded
drugs causes a high level or concern and confusion. This no-nonsense course
cuts through the myths and confusion and looks at how to deal with various
levels of drug litter in a safe and proportionate manner.
This is a half day course and is aimed at caretakers, estate managers,
trades, domestic staff, cleaners.
Harm Reduction
Safer injecting and Needle Exchange
The injecting courses include a range of formats to cater for a variety
of different needs. The courses require a level of drugs awareness; for
half day and one day courses, basic drug awareness is adequate.
For the two and three day courses, workers will need more extensive drugs
knowledge and will have needed to attend advanced drugs awareness training
or equivalent.
Issues covered in three-day course includes why people inject, injecting
and human physiology, where people inject, injecting technique, IV use,
IM use, high risk activity, sharing and infection, equipment, legal issues,
injecting injuries, harm reduction strategies, hard-to-reach groups, work
with young people, models of exchange provision, sharps handling, getting
returns, needle stick injury, record keeping.
Additional or tailored courses can be run which explore young people's
needle exchange, femoral injecting and policy and practice in needle exchange.
Drug Related Deaths: Anticipating, Preventing and Responding
This
is not a first-aid course or a Naloxone roll-out course. This
course takes a wider look at drug-related deaths. It explores who is at
risk and why. While the focus is on opiate-linked deaths it also looks
at the increasing number of stilmulants deaths, and other drugs
including solvents, benzos and SCRAs.
The course is useful
as a personal skill set in responding to critical incidents. But the
course is also useful in assessing risk, providing additional content
in training and group work settings or when rolling out OD sessions.
It has been a popular course amongst experienced drugs workers, housing workers and custodial staff.
Drugs and Wider Society
Families and Drugs (two day)
Addressing drug use within the family is a complex and emotive subject.
This module looks at the importance of drug use within the family. It is
intended to increase the skills and confidence of workers encountering
drug use within family settings. It focuses on the issue of children at
risk through drug use within the family but also addresses other aspects
of drug use within the family.
The course includes parents and carers - their attitudes to drug use,
support issues where drug use is present in families, drug use in the family
as a risk factor for children and young people, strategies for assessing
parental and carer drug use in the context of child protection.
This two day course can also be run as two seperate one day courses:
Children Drugs and the Family: This course focuses on family drug use
as a child protection issue.
Families and drugs: This course focuses on the role of parents and carers
as educators and receivers of support.
Young People and Drugs
This course is aimed at people working with or supporting young people
in a variety of settings. It builds on existing drugs knowledge and aims
to explore drug use as regards young people. The aim is to ensure that
practice and services are responsive to the needs of young people who use
drugs.
The course includes trends of drug use amongst young people, the HAS tiers,
high risk groups, creating accessible services, assessing scenarios, using
resources, giving information, issues of confidentiality.
Diversity/Refugees and Asylum Seekers/Womad
These specialist courses explore issues of culture and diversity in relation
to drugs. Too often courses have looked at either diversity or drugs and
these courses attempt to integrate the subjects so that workers can look
at issues of culture and drugs at the same time.
Each of these courses will need to be tailored to local circumstance and
need to get in touch to discuss your specific situation in more detail.
Commercial Sector
Increasingly, businesses are becoming aware of the need for drugs awareness,
policy and strategy within the workplace. These modules seek to meet these
needs. They will give workers and managers the knowledge and skills they
need to formulate drugs strategy, respond effectively and legally to drug-related
incidents and, importantly, ensure the safety of staff, customers, and
a business' hard-won reputation.
Drugs in the workplace
Some of your employees use drugs. You want to retain good staff, but you
also want to ensure that drug use does not have an impact on your business.
This course for employers will give you the knowledge and tools to develop
a workplace drugs policy that allows you to protect business while maintaining
a proportional response to drug related incidents.
Includes: drug awareness, drug trends, drug law for businesses, pros and
cons of drug testing, responses to drug related incidents, attitudinal
issues.
Drugs for the hotel industry
Pubs, clubs and others in the hospitality or entertainment industry have
to be aware of their obligations under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971. As
with any other part of the industry, hotels need to be clear that they
know what their legal obligations are in relation to drugs. Drug issues
in hotel settings may include a number of issues, including the use or
supply of substances by both customers or staff.This package allows managers
of hotels to develop an effective in-house drug strategy including:
Includes: Drugs, their appearance and effects, the legal framework and
legal obligations, signs of drug use, responding to drug related incidents,
staff drug policy.
Drugs on Holiday
Many people, especially young people, see going on holiday as an opportunity
for a hedonistic two weeks. This, for some, may include taking drugs. The
potential consequences of drug related incidents on holiday can have serious
ramifications, not just for holiday-makers but also for the tour company
involved. This course is aimed at holiday reps, and enables them to deal
with drug related matters effectively and calmly in holiday settings.
Includes: drug awareness, law on importing and exporting drugs and medication,
responding to drug related incidents, local drug laws.
Skills-based Courses:
Training the Trainer
This course is not only for people who are interested in training, but
for all workers keen to improve their presentation skills. This can be
useful in drugs education settings, group work settings, aswell as conference
and training settings. The course is for workers who have undertaken previous
drugs training and wish to develop their training and presentation skills.
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