Current government programmes aimed at reducing drug and alcohol use among young people may be ineffective and may even be doing more harm than good, according to a paper published today in Public Policy Research, the quarterly journal published today by the Institute for Public Policy Research.
Street-based programmes, by contrast, which aim to engage with young people on their own 'territory', have the potential to be more effective in reaching the most at-risk young people and are also likely to be cheaper to operate.
The Connexions service, which launched in 2001, aims to provide advice, guidance, support and personal development opportunities for 13-19 year olds, focusing on the one-in ten young people 'not in education, employment or training' who are known to be most at risk of misusing drugs and alcohol. Connexions advisers work with young people individually, in isolation from their friends and social networks. They are assessed on the numbers of young people with whom they have contact, and whether they progress to education, employment or training.
But Adam Fletcher and Chris Bonell, of the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine's Centre for Research on Drugs and Health Behaviour, argue that Connexions is too target-driven and individually-focused, and that it may not be working. Current targets neglect outcomes such as young people's self-esteem, happiness and wellbeing, all of which are likely to be critical if lasting and meaningful change is to be achieved. And, crucially, the service fails to address the importance of peer pressure in influencing a young person's decision to misuse drugs and alcohol.
Perhaps most worrying, the authors cite research which indicates that centre-based youth work approaches may actually do more harm than good, by inadvertently introducing young people to peers engaged in frequent and heavy drug and alcohol use.