Pupils snub alcohol and drugs

ONE IN six of secondary school pupils who said they had been offered drugs other than cannabis got them off a member of school staff, says a comprehensive health and wellbeing survey.

The statistic was among hundreds presented in an in-depth survey into Year 7 and Year 10 children’s health and well-being in Calderdale.

Despite the statistic being something of a headline grabber, substance use among young people has been broadly in decline in recent years – but is most prevalent in children and young people who have vulnerabilities, it says.

The survey is a detailed snapshot of how they see their lives at this moment in time, asking young people questions about their gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation, health, emotional health and wellbeing, and harms they might be subjected to ranging from their home life to drug use.

Reviewed recently by the council’s Children and Young People’s Scrutiny Board, Calderdale’s electronic Health Needs Assessment (eHNA) has been running for ten years now.

Councillors were told the annual survey is widely considered to be “best practice” in its format and execution and staff compiling it are often asked to advise colleagues in other areas on both their approach and survey findings.

The 2019 report, completed by them electronically and coordinated by school staff, saw 4,123 secondary school students from 100 per cent of Calderdale’s schools taking part, 2,273 from Year 7 and 1,850 from Year 10.

Councillors learned the report provides “a rich and valuable insight” into the lives of children and young people in Calderdale, allowing all to better support them and keep them happy, healthy and safe going forward.

The results are shared with professionals in the council’s public health, and children and young people’s directorates and with partner agencies including Calderdale Clinical Commissioning Group and health services.

Schools participating also receive an in-depth report detailing findings for their own school and comparing them to district averages, and all schools taking part are offered support in developing health and wellbeing action plans tailored to meet the needs of their students where appropriate and to access a range of associated resources and services.

The survey drills down into how their see their lives and alongside statistics like those involving drugs also reveals much about what can be seen as their everyday lives.

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