Mentor Launches Quality Mark for Alcohol and Drugs Education
Mentor UK, an organisation focused on drug prevention and education, have launched a Quality Mark for alcohol and drugs education.
The quality mark has been developed in addition to a set of developmental quality standards for schools and practitioners which aims to improve alcohol and other drugs education in England.
The quality mark is supported by Public Health England (PHE) while the charity is financially backed by both PHE and the Home Office which is the lead government department in the UK which deals with drug policy.
Access to the standards is through the Mentor UK website and allows self-assessment of existing practice and policy. In working towards the Quality Mark, schools and practitioners must have a planned programme of teaching, support this through Continuous Professional Development (CPD) of staff, ensure pupils are up-skilled in responding to risk and recognising risk taking behaviour and that education is delivered to reinforce positive social norms.
An additional requirement for education providers and practitioners is that they meet the European Drug Prevention Quality Standards and the UNODC International Standards on Drug Use Prevention.
The quality mark comes after recent movement towards compulsory Personal Social and Health Education (PSHE) in English schools. This would make drugs education something which schools are required to provide.
