IbArrA
Number of posts : 58
KARMA : 2
Registration date : 2009-03-06
|
 Subject: Final Call For Views On Underage Drinking Sun Mar 08, 2009 7:18 pm |
|
|
The Department for Children, Schools & Families is calling all key stakeholders and partners, including the medical sector, to have their say and get involved with the consultation on alcohol and young people before the closing date of 23rd April 2009.
DCSF has already had an excellent response to the consultation with over a third of feedback being generated by young people themselves. This clearly demonstrates that young people are concerned about issues surrounding alcohol consumption and are keen to have their say on the matter.
Comments to date suggest that those participating in the consultation understand the guidance and feel that the messages are clear. There is also a strong suggestion that introducing alcohol at a younger age within the confines of the family home may be beneficial to teaching children how to maintain a safe and healthy relationship with alcohol as they grow older, however this point is still up for debate.
Anyone with a view on alcohol is being urged to comment on the consultation at www.dcsf.gov.uk/consultations and have a say on how to best communicate a range of information and advice on alcohol for children and young people.
Whilst an alcohol-free childhood is recommended by Chief Medical Officer, Sir Liam Donaldson, the reality is that by the age of 15 many children have already consumed alcohol and substantial numbers drink weekly.
A recent study found that students who drank frequently were over 3 times more likely to say they were behind in school work than more moderate drinkers [1]. Alcohol is also linked to missing school, with 60% of pupils who had truanted in the last year having drunk alcohol in the last week compared to 17% of those who had never truanted [2].
The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) advises that schools should ensure that alcohol education is an integral part of the Personal, Social, Health and Economic (PSHE) Education curricula. These messages are also set out in the Government¡¦s Drugs: Guidance for Schools, and the recent review of Drug and Alcohol Education. Professionals working in all children¡¦s services also need to be able to identify children and young people with alcohol related problems and make appropriate referrals to support services.
Government now wants to ensure that they have reached as many people as possible through their consultation process from. The aim is to get as many opinions as possible in order to help communicate the guidance from the CMO in the most effective and impactful way possible as well as to provide appropriate information on alcohol to parents and young people. This will in turn help influence young people to make sensible decisions and reduce the harm that young people and communities face from excessive drinking at a young age.
The five point medical guidance (see below) forms the basis of the consultation which was launched by Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families Ed Balls; Health Secretary, Alan Johnson, and the Chief Medical Officer.
The guidance has been produced in response to a commitment in the Youth Alcohol Action Plan (June 2008) which identified that parents did not want government to decide when or how their children were introduced to alcohol. Instead, they wanted clear messages on issues including:
- the age children and young people can start to drink alcohol
- how much is sensible for young people to drink
- how far parents or carers should supervise young people¡¦s drinking
The consultation addresses messaging around these, with the aim of creating guidance which is successful in reducing the negative impact of alcohol on young people, families and the community.
Sir Liam Donaldson, Chief Medical Officer says:
- Evidence shows how those in the medical sector can influence young people¡¦s alcohol use, by having strict rules on young people¡¦s drinking; through supervision and management; and through the closeness of their relationships with their children. Parents and carers have asked for clear messages and we do not have all the answers, which is why this consultation has been set up.
- With the help of key stakeholders as well as parents and young people, we hope that this guidance will act as a valuable tool for reducing the impact of youth alcohol consumption on health, crime, violence and anti-social behaviour.
The Chief Medical Officers Guidance on the Consumption of Alcohol by Children and Young People advises:
- an alcohol-free childhood is the safest option if children drink alcohol, it shouldn¡¦t be before they reach 15 years old;
- for those aged 15 V 17 years old all alcohol consumption should be with the guidance of a parent or carer or in a supervised environment;
- children aged 15 V 17 years old should never exceed adult
- recommended daily maximums. As a general guide, children aged 15 and 16 should not usually drink on more than one day a week, children aged 17 should drink on no more than two days a week;
- parental influences on children¡¦s alcohol use should be communicated to parents, carers and professionals. Parents and carers need advice on how to respond to alcohol use and misuse by children;
- support services must be available for children and young people who have alcohol related problems and their parents
For more information or to get involved before the closing date of 23rd April 2009, please visit: http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/consultations or email alcohol.consultation@dcsf.gsi.gov.uk
Notes
- The consultation is on two documents aimed at reaching all parents, children and young people under-18 as well as health, education and children¡¦s services professionals:
1. The Chief Medical Officers Guidance on the consumption of alcohol by children and young people
2. Initial ideas for the supporting Advice and Information for parents and young people.
- Stakeholder engagement packs can be downloaded via http://www.everychildmatters.gov.uk/health/substancemisuse/alcohol/
- The Youth Alcohol Action Plan was launched in June 2008, to tackle the problems of anti-social behaviour and violent crime associated with young people¡¦s outdoor drinking by the introduction of a number of new initiatives through the Policing and Crime Bill announced in the Queen¡¦s Speech in December 2008. Subject to Parliamentary approval, this would include the introduction of a new offence of persistently possessing alcohol in a public place by under 18s; increasing the penalty for the offence of consuming alcohol in a designated public place; ensuring that when police confiscate alcohol from under 18s that they also take a record of their name and address and if they are under 16, remove them to a place of safety; and by lowering the age for police powers on direction to individuals who represent a risk of disorder, so that police can now disperse groups of under-16s.
|
|
