Drug & Alcohol Misuse
The Safeguarding Children Substance Misuse Service works to lessen the impact on children of substance misuse in their household, by working with both the adult drug and alcohol services and the child care services. The service ensures that safeguarding children remains on the agenda of all services associated with drug and alcohol misuse, and that substance misuse remains on the agenda of all services associated with parenting, family work and childcare as identified in the Hidden Harm Strategy.
The service primarily focuses on the following:
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Delivering multi-agency training and single-agency training in relation to parental substance misuse and safeguarding the welfare of children;
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Producing and implementing substance misuse protocols and multi-agency guidance in response to local and national initiatives;
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Managing confidential data systems recording information relating to children living in households where there is substance misuse to help research local activity and assist in planning;
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Managing the MAPLAG (Multi-Agency Pregnancy Liaison and Assessment Group) – local screening risk assessment system for all women who disclose substance misuse during pregnancy;
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Increasing professional awareness by providing advice and support to workers from all agencies across the city;
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Conducting needs assessment through user consultation and audit, identifying gaps in service and making recommendations about service needs and development of services for families where there are issues of substance misuse;
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Supporting substance misuse services , including providing safeguarding children supervision to substance misuse workers to ensure safeguarding children remains a primary focus;
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Producing awareness raising literature and leaflets, including safer storage medication boxes for the substance misuse community;
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Identifying learning points from National Serious Case Reviews involving substance misuse;
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Working with partner agencies to further develop tools and resources to safeguard the needs of children living in households where there is substance misuse.
If you would like further information about any aspect of the Safeguarding Children Substance Misuse Service, training sessions, leaflets or issues relating to how substance misuse may impact on parenting please contact us:
Phone: 0114 273 5490 Fax: 0114 273 4628
Email: mandy.craig@sheffield.gov.uk
Harm Reduction Advice: nitrous oxide and cannabis
During the Covid-19 lockdown the News has often spoken about an increase use of substances and more drug using paraphernalia has been seen in parks. CGL The Corner have developed some podcasts to support young people and professionals in developing their understanding of certain substances. All the podcasts provide Harm Reduction advice which is good to share with people especially young people that might be, or considering, experimenting with substances.
CGL The Corner are going to continue to develop podcasts about different substances which you will be able to access through their YouTube channel