By the end of this course participants will;

• Understand the effects of drugs and alcohol and their impact on the physical and mental health of the young person, and family functioning.
• Know how to support children affected by substance misuse where child protection issues exist or where the child is in need of support
• Understand the principles of life skills and harm reduction relevant to stage of development of the young person
• Have an understanding of their own role, and the roles of other professionals (including multi-agency working), in working with children, young people and families, from a legal, organisational and policy perspective.
• Understand the importance of record keeping, reporting and confidentiality
• Know about the different substances that children and young people might use, how these are used, their effects, risks and legal status.
• Be able how to use the RIAT tool to carry out an initial assessment of young people for substance misuse and to decide, in partnership with young people on the appropriate intervention to address any substance misuse issues.
• Know how to offer support to the child or young person which is appropriate to their needs
• Know how to refer young people and families for specialist and non-specialist help where appropriate.