Children in Crisis in the U.K

Children in Crisis Leeds d:side programme comes to an end

On 31st March 2011 Children in Crisis brought our involvement with the d:side programme to an end for strategic and funding reasons, having run the UK d:side programme in Leeds in its current form since 2000, following five years of working in drug and alcohol education initiatives in Leeds. Since it began d:side has delivered interactive drug and alcohol education to a total of 201,990 primary school children and visited 862 primary schools in the Leeds area. We are delighted to announce that d:side is being taken forward by the Local Area Coordinator in Leeds as an independent charity and we wish the new organisation every success in the future.

‘We use the d:side project to help children lead a healthy lifestyle in a fun and interactive way. The children enjoy using the bus and the staff value the expertise and experience of the d:side staff.’ (PSHE Co-ordinator, Park Spring Primary School, 2011)  

What has the programme aimed to do?

The aim of the d:side programme has been to provide children with well researched and accurate information about the effects drugs and alcohol have upon their bodies in an interactive way, provide a forum for children to discuss the issues that are raised, and equip them with the skills they need to make healthy lifestyle choices as they grow up. It does this by visiting primary schools and offering two sessions to each year group in Key Stage Two; the first provides key information and messages about the topic being covered and is usually delivered in a mobile classroom, and the second, which takes place within the same week as the first, is a follow up session to consolidate learning and build knowledge and skills introduced in the first session and is held in the children’s classroom. 

Why has the programme done this?

The UK has some of the highest rates of teenage binge drinking, drunkenness and alcohol related problems in Europe and within the UK, some of the highest levels of drug and alcohol use among young people (11-15) are recorded in Yorkshire and the Humber, with 40% of young people reporting to have ever smoked, 60% to have ever drunk alcohol and 18% reporting they have taken drugs. Within that region, in the City of Leeds there remain large disparities between the wealthiest areas and the poorest areas, which continue to face high levels of multiple deprivation and significant risks around drug and alcohol use and misuse.

Providing children with key information and building their life skills in engaging and memorable ways before they reach the transition years of years seven and eight at secondary school is an important way of preventing drug and alcohol misuse and ensuring children and young people are able to make healthy choices. This is exactly what d:side has done, and aims to continue doing, with support from Children Leeds and Education Leeds. The interactive nature of the programme, drawing on resources such as the giant cigarette, the jar of tar, and the beer goggles, makes it memorable to children and the sessions provide them with a solid knowledge foundation.

‘d:side is good to prepare you for the future for what’s right and wrong’ (child at Wigton Moor Primary School 2011) 

What are the key achievements?

• In February-March 2011 Children in Crisis conducted an internal end of programme evaluation of d:side. Key findings include:
• Between 2000 and 2010 the programme has reached a cumulative total of over 862 schools and delivered sessions to 201,990 children
• Children remember the d:side visits up to and beyond the four years after they have received them, their retention of knowledge and key facts and skills developed is strong in the short to medium term, and they value the interactive nature of the sessions and the external educators who are not their teachers.
• When asked one thing they remember about d:side most children (41 out of the 48 who took part in Focus Group Discussions) were able to answer and to recall one thing they had been taught by d:side. Answers included: ‘Smoking creates tar in the lungs’, ‘Alcohol can damage your liver’, ‘If you take too much medicine it can be harmful’, and ‘Drugs mess about with your brain by making you see stuff that’s not really happening’ 
• Schools and teachers value the programme very highly, with many seeing it as a crucial part of their PSHCE curriculum and Health Week provision, as well as important in meeting other curriculum requirements such as science. 
• Of the schools visited during the 2010-11 academic year (up to the end of March 2011) 87% said that d:side enhances their already existing PSHE work and that d:side is not their only source of drug and alcohol education, compared to five years ago when only 41% of schools reported this to be the case.

Overall the evaluation findings are very positive and show that the d:side programme has been and continues to be effective in meeting its aim of providing children with accurate and important information about drugs and alcohol, and the risks of use and misuse, and developing key life skills that enable children to make healthy choices as they grow up.

The strengths and weaknesses and the lessons learned from the evaluation will be drawn upon by the new d:side organisation as it takes the work forward and continues to provide a much needed and valued service to primary school children in Leeds. 

What do children and teachers say?

’Everybody values your expertise. We couldn’t do it without you’ (Janina Wincerz, Deputy Head Teacher and Year Six class teacher, Wigton Moor Primary School 2011)

‘d:side tells us about dangers in life’ (child at Moortown Primary School, 2011)
 

‘I enjoyed the way you told us how cannabis can affect us, you told us in a fun way like playing games’ (child at Seacroft Grange Primary School, 2009) 

For more information on the new d:side charity please contact David Hill on:

davidh@dside.org.uk or info@dside.org.uk

Children in Crisis in Italy

d:side in Italy is now a well-established programme in the City of Milan, receiving the support of the local town council and local health authorities. The programme is also being delivered in Umbria with the financial support of the local regional authorities and has been met with incredible enthusiasm and participation from schools and pupils.

CLICK HERE> to learn more about our sister organisation in Italy.