Components of a national drug prevention system

Ms. UNODC

National drug prevention system

1. Strong delivery infrastructure as one of the critical components of a national drug prevention system

1. Strong delivery infrastructure as one of the critical components of a national drug prevention system

Prevention as part of health centered drug control framework

Support byother health, education and social policies

Supportive regulatory frameworks – Some examples

• Skills based education included in the national school curriculum and in the teacher training system.

• Mandating schools and workplaces to implement participatory and supportive substance abuse prevention policies.

• Offering pre-natal care with psycho-social services to families at risk.

• Reducing access of youth to licit substances

National standards for drug and substance abuse prevention

• setting the minimum standards for interventions and policies

• national professional standards for drug and substance prevention practitioners, setting the minimum competencies and skills

• … setting the stage for the - > training of practitioners- > training of decision makers- > training of researchers

Resources and ongoing training

• Trained policy makers, practitioners, researchers.– Ongoing training– Professionalisation

• Adequate financial resources

Sustainability

• Medium – long term prevention strategies with resources.

• Mechanism foreseen for review at regular intervals on the basis of data and evidence.

• Training is provided on an ongoing and regular basis to maintain professional capacity.

http://www.cicad.oas.org/main/pubs/ How_to_Develop_a_National_Drug_Policy_CICAD-CARICOM.pdf

http://www.cicad.oas.org/ http://www.emcdda.europa.eu

Prevention Hub by Mentor International

www.preventionhub.org

Task in national groups

• Please go through your national plan for improvement.• Is there anything that you need to add so that interventions and

policies are supported by a strong delivery structure?• It could be a new objective

– For example, national standards for drug prevention interventions and policies developed and adopted.

• It could be activities under existing objectives– For example, if you want to develop prevention education in schools, you

might want to add the adoption of a relevant regulation.– If you want to implement a new intervention or expand an existing one,

have you foreseen sufficient training?• What about sustainability?

National drug prevention system

2. A range of stakeholders involved in planning and delivery as one of the critical components of a national drug prevention system

A range of stakeholder at different levels and from different kinds of institutions and sectors (1/2)

A range of stakeholder at different levels and from different kinds of institutions and sectors (2/2)

Multiple sectors, levels, institutions

• Strong coordination• Integration horizontally and vertically• Clear roles and responsibility• Stages of the project cycle– Planning– Delivery– Monitoring– Evaluation

Sustainability

• Integration and coordination– It is sustainable?– Could it be streamlined?

• Mechanisms for integration and coordination at regular times

Task in national groups

• Please go through your national plan for improvement.• Is there anything that you need to add so that

interventions and policies are supported by a range of stakeholders?

• Do you need a new objectives or new activities?• What about sustainability?

3. Scientific evidence and research as one of the critical components of a national drug prevention system

Implementation of strategies based on scientific evidence, data and evaluation

Data collection system (1/2)

• Epidemiology – Who is using?– Initiation age, transition to disorders, drugs used, patterns of

use, risk groups.• Influences - Why are they using?– Vulnerabilities and protective factors

• Consequences– Use and dependence related harm and costs (e.g. mortality,

crime, HIV, foster care...)

Data collection systems (2/2)

• Utilizing multiple different data-sources– Registers in substance abuse

treatment, health care, juvenile and law-enforcement systems, social welfare, etc.

– Local and national surveys• Collecting data at regular

intervals• Feeding the data to the

planning and development of prevention systems

Utilizing evidence based strategies (1/2)

• Theory-based– Scientific understanding of the vulnerabilities addressed– Scientific theories on behaviour change

• Monitoring– Monitoring of implementation fidelity and reach

• Evaluation of effectiveness– Quasi-experimental or experimental– Collaboration with research institutions– Intermediate outcomes (mediators) – (Long-term) outcomes (substance use)

• Consulting existing standards– EMCDDA!

Example of quality standards for the planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of prevention programmes

Utilizing evidence based strategies (2/2)

• Utilising programmes that have evidence of effectiveness from elsewhere– Systematic process for adaptation– Minimal adaptation first with monitoring of fidelity and

scientific evaluation– Possible deeper theory-based adaptation later– Involve research institution/ university and possibly the

developer

Example of compilation of evidence-based programmes to choose from

More in-depth discussion of adaptation

Other examples from the Canadian Centre on Substance Abuse - www.ccsa.ca

Task in national groups (1/2)

• Please go through your national plan for improvement.• Is there anything that you need to add so that

interventions and policies are supported by scientific evidence and research?

• Do you need a new objectives or new activities?• What about sustainability?

Finally …

Task in national groups (2/2)

• Please go through your national plan for improvement.• Is your plan really complete?– All ages …. Hopefully yes! What about critical transition

periods?– All relevant settings– All risk groups– All risk levels (universal, selective, indicated)

• Anything you might want to add or prioritize at this stage?