Policy Implications of Teacher Perspectives on Early Intervention for Substance Misuse

• NCJ Number: 220876
• Journal: Drugs: Education, Prevention and Policy Volume: 14 Issue: 5 Dated: October 2007 Pages: 415-428
• Author(s): Craig Deed
• Date Published: October 2007
• Length: 14 pages
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research)
• Language: English
• Country: United Kingdom

Annotation

This paper offers teacher perspectives regarding commonalities, issues, and residual tensions that that are present when early intervention is implemented into school settings.

Abstract

Study results indicate that schools have emerged and are likely to remain key sites for prevention and early interventions for substance misuse. This study identified a diverse range of early intervention practices in school settings. Teachers are placed in a position to identify and manage vulnerable young people. Findings suggest that teachers are pragmatic in their identification of students at risk, and use an under-theorized construct of engagement to manage that risk. This study established that the lack of specificity of the policy limited its practical value to schools. A number of tensions centering on the perceived purpose of school emerged when early intervention policy was implemented in the classroom. The student well-being policy currently in use in Victorian schools needs to be refined; a revision should provide schools with a clear and understandable early intervention framework that allows for a local translation. Providing a shared framework of policy and practice is one mechanism to encourage discourse and collaboration among educators, health practitioners, and other professionals in the field. Teachers are placed in a position to identify and manage vulnerable young people. Any further policy development should be based on teacher understanding of the policy and the school’s capacity for early intervention. A qualitative case-study method was used to examine the perspective of school staff members in five schools located in a low socioeconomic, nonmetropolitan center in Victoria, Australia. Interviews with generalist school staff members provided the data and perspectives of early intervention for young secondary school students aged 12 to 14 years old. Tables, references