Flintshire Sorted Newsletter Spring 2014

WHO WE ARE… LESLEY BAYLEY Operations Manager YJS/Sorted LYNNE ROBINSON Office Manager DAWN ASHTON Education Practitioner CLAIRE MORTER Education Practitioner TRUDIE POTTER Education Practitioner SEAN REGAN Education Practitioner EMMALENE EDWARDS‐KING Therapeutic Practitioner GAVIN MARKHAM‐JONES Therapeutic Practitioner NICKY EVANS Therapeutic Practitioner (Dual Diagnosis) Please feel free to contact us on 01244 551477 for more information or to make a referral. You can also email Lynne Robinson on [email protected] ALTERNATIVE THERAPIES Flintshire Sorted also offers a wide range of alternative therapies. The purpose of the therapies is to help young people with anxiety, difficult emotions, to relax and deal with issues such as cravings. Examples of what we offer; INDIAN HEAD MASSAGE ACUPUNCTURE RELAXATION MINDFULNESS MEDITATION  REIKI 
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And coming soon….  EMOTIONAL FREEDOM TECHNIQUE (EFT) Newsletter Spring 2014
WHAT WE DO…
We work with young people to minimise the impact of drug, alcohol and substance related harm on young people, their families and the community to enable them to lead healthy and crime free lives. Our work is informed by young people; we seek feedback from our service users and we have an active Steering Group who meet regularly and work with us. We work within 3 identified action areas; PREVENTATIVE EDUCATION: All young people in Flintshire are able to access drug and alcohol information through trained and competent staff We work with young people in schools and in the community to educate and raise awareness of the risks of using drugs and alcohol. This includes PSE lessons, Drop‐
In Sessions, Health Days, and Peer Education (where young people are trained and supported by YPDAT to educate their younger peers). We provide training and consultation to develop skills for frontline workers and accessible access to specialist support. TARGETED EARLY INTERVENTION: All Children and Young People in identified as being at risk will have the opportunity to build Flintshire resilience against the harms of substance misuse Early Intervention is when we work with young people who are identified as being at increased risk of misusing drugs and alcohol. Often these young people have other risk factors such as homelessness, challenging behaviour, excluded from education, offending behaviours or other difficulties. We work with these young people in a more targeted way tailor‐making sessions to enable them to make more informed and healthier choices. We also use our Mobile Stadia, our drama set “Decision Street”, and our newly refurbished outreach bus and are able to offer an innovative way of working with young people. THERAPEUTIC INTERVENTION: Children and Young People are able to therapeutic support to meet their individual needs relating to access alcohol and substance misuse We offer a referral based service for intensive work with young people whose substance misuse is having a negative impact on their lives. We offer a breadth of therapeutic approaches, including talking and creative therapies and dual diagnosis, in order to address the complexity of issues contributing to alcohol and substance misuse. These tailored interventions aim to meet the individual needs of young people and help them to make changes and lead healthier lifestyles, by considering learning and developmental issues. Make a Referral If you know a young person or group of young people who you feel would benefit from either education or therapeutic work, please feel free to give us a ring on 01244 551477. We tailor our work to suit each young person’s needs and are happy to work flexibly. Include Us Too: Youth Project Launch Flintshire Sorted participated in the launch of Save The Family’s new project ‘Include Us Too’ at Plas Bellin, providing demonstrations of some of the activities and resources we use in schools and with groups. Flintshire Sorted practitioners Emma and Gavin gave out information about current drug trends in Flintshire and gave up to date information regarding New Psychoactive Substances (NPS). Talking to young people and other agencies about our service and exploring opportunities for joint working with Save The Family. Sorted Out and About: Coleg Cambria Well‐Being Event Partnership Working @ Hawksbury Community Centre Graffiti Project Education Practitioner Claire Morter, in partnership with Buckley community police officer, supported 16 young people from the Buckley are over 2 days to create two murals; one depicting the heritage of Buckley and the other based on popular leisure activities that Buckley young people enjoy. Claire supported the event with the Night Dragon (Flintshire Sorted’s outreach vehicle), delivering informal education on drugs and alcohol through activities and discussion, and raising the
profile of Flintshire Sorted. Education Practitioner Sean Regan, in partnership with School Nurse Jackie Lawrence, provided an interactive information stall at Coleg Cambria’s recent Well‐Being Event at the Northop Campus on the 19th February. Learners from the college were able to ask questions, obtain leaflets and resources were available, including the beer goggles. Many young people enjoyed trying on the beer goggles and were surprised to see what the effects of alcohol can be. Include Us Too: Youth Project Launch Flintshire Sorted participated in the launch of Save The Family’s new project ‘Include Us Too’ at Plas Bellin, providing demonstrations of some of the activities and resources we use in schools and with groups. Flintshire Sorted practitioners Emma and Gavin gave out information about current drug trends in Flintshire and gave up to date information regarding New Psychoactive Substances (NPS). Talking to young people and other agencies about our service and exploring opportunities for joint working with Save The Family. (NPS’s)
NEW PSYCHOACTIVE SUBSTANCES… New Psychoactive Substances (NPS), also known as legal highs, remain an issue within Flintshire and the country as a whole. These substances are largely manufactured on an industrial scale in countries like China and India and then packaged and distributed throughout Europe to be on sold in high street ‘head’ shops and from on‐line vendors. These substances are designed to mimic the effects of illegal drugs but their chemical structures differ enough so that they are not illegal under current legalisation….
Information from referrals to our service and reports from young people indicate that NPS that mimic both cannabis and stimulants, such as amphetamine, cocaine and ecstasy, are currently available in the Flintshire area and these substances have had adverse effects on users such as hospitalisation, anxiety, panic attacks and insomnia. On a national level, figures show that deaths linked to these New Psychoactive Substances have risen in recent years ‐ from 10 in 2009 to at least 68 in 2012. These figures reinforce the message from Flintshire Sorted that just because a substance is legal it certainly doesn’t mean that it is safe. Flintshire Sorted are available to offer information, advice or training to professionals and agencies around the subject of New Psychoactive Substances. Please call the office on 01244 551477 for more information.

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