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Guidelines for the Management of Incidents of Drug Misuse in Schools

Section 2

Being Prepared

A shared understanding of responsibilities and school policies and appropriate, written procedures equips a school to respond effectively to incidents of drug misuse. Pupils in such a school can benefit from a consistently high standard of care.

2.1 Remits, confidentiality and referral

A shared understanding has to be established in all schools whereby incidents of drug misuse are reported immediately to the senior manager on duty. All pupils, parents and staff should know the school policy and the designated staff member(s) responsible for taking forward action before an incident occurs.

Confidentiality is not an option when pupils are at risk. Staff have a professional and moral duty to put the child's welfare first. Information about drug misuse may be offered in confidence but the recipient cannot keep such information to him or herself. There is an absolute need for such information to be passed on to the designated officer who will liaise as necessary with the relevant senior staff in the school, the education authority, any other relevant agencies and the child or children's parents. The member of staff concerned should as far as possible retain the child or young person's trust by explaining the need for action and what is likely to happen next.

Good practice requires schools to identify the line-management duties for co-ordinating action both within the school and between the school and other relevant agencies. Local multi-agency networks involving school staff, police, health and social work services are already in place for responding to incidents in which a child may be at risk. SOEID Circular 5/90 identified the need for a senior co-ordinator in the school and education authority as well as nominated contacts with services such as social work, police and health. The School Drug Safety Team recommend that these professionals should include within their remit managing risk from drug-related incidents in schools.

2.2 Education authorities and links with other agencies

School managers and their staff operate within the policies of their employing authorities.

The education authority will have identified procedures for the school's contacts with other agencies (see also supplementary material for a chart detailing key staff and aspects of the management of drug-related incidents which may require referral to established contacts in other agencies). These should include arrangements for appropriate school policies including:

• the respective professional duties of all council employees and contracted workers when in schools;
• support from its press and legal advice officers;
• guidelines on decision-making and parental involvement;
• situations requiring urgent referrals directly to other agencies;
• procedures for referrals to education authority, social work, police and the reporter ;
• a named education officer, social worker, police officer and health professional to provide advice when required;
• procedures for monitoring, recording and interviewing; and
• exemplar recording formats and correspondence in line with national and authority guidelines on confidential records and disclosures.

2.3 Procedures for dealing with incidents involving pupils

All incidents of drug misuse should be treated seriously and should be reported to the senior manager on duty. Procedures should identify how to respond to different types of incident. The guiding principle must be the appropriate response required to protect or safeguard the welfare of the child. The deciding factor is the degree of risk to the child.

Some incidents require urgent action; others require time for the school to assess information, seek advice and involve other agencies.

The school will want to take immediate, urgent action when there is a clear risk to safety (see also section 3 for more detail). Within procedures, school staff may need to:

• try to prevent a pupil's removal from school if an adult collecting a pupil appears to be under the influence of drink or drugs (see paragraph 2.4);
• obtain medical attention for a child;
• stop the supply of controlled drugs on, or near, school premises;
• prevent pupil's access to controlled drugs;
• make arrangements to clear the school of drug-related litter;
• seek urgent police assistance to remove drugs/drug misusers behaving aggressively; and
• contact the social work service for advice on how to respond to a child who discloses that they are misusing drugs or their parent or other family members are misusing drugs.

Serious but less immediate action, involving observation, interview, consultation with other agencies, continued monitoring or referral to the Children's Reporter, may be appropriate when there are :

• generalised allegations or concerns about a particular child or family;
• refuted/inconsistent disclosures;
• concerns but no evidence of drug misuse or related harmful or criminal conduct (such as supply of drugs or other harmful substances); and
• concerns but no evidence of immediate risk to safety.

Each type of incident requires a school response well matched to pupils' needs. School managers must first identify the most appropriate measures and then put them in place. This is likely to include some combination of support, discipline, public information and drug education.

Action has to take account of the pupil's age, any special needs and the school context. For the purposes of providing support to children in need in terms of The Children (Scotland) Act 1995, children include all those below the age of 18 years. Each case involving pupils' behaviour in school hours, or when otherwise in the care of the school, must be assessed independently.

Reported cases of drug taking and supply or possession on school premises are infrequent. The school is more likely to have to respond to allegations and disclosures involving drug misuse. The school should draw on its existing arrangements for child protection when managing such incidents. However, clearly an incident involving Class A drugs and/or younger children, in particular in primary schools or lower secondary years should arouse significant concern about a child's safety or welfare. These kinds of situations will require good collaboration between schools, social work services and the police. An incident involving an older pupil who has no other apparent welfare needs or problems may not indicate the same level of concern for their safety but possession or misuse of controlled drugs is a criminal offence and may need firm disciplinary action or referral to the police. Each case should be carefully considered in the light of the child's individual circumstances and their best interests.

In all cases, staff have to proceed with caution and sensitivity to prevent rash or ill-conceived action that would complicate the task of investigating and resolving drug misuse incidents for the school, the police or any other agency involved. Investigation of criminal activity, including searching persons or personal property, is, of course, a responsibility for the police not the school. Apart from immediate first aid, any health or medical emergency should be attended by appropriate medical personnel, e.g. school nurse, paramedic or ambulance staff. Similarly assessment and providing support and services to vulnerable or troubled children and families are matters for social work services. Where investigation of a criminal offence, or additional support to a child or family seem necessary the school should refer to these agencies. Counselling and drug treatment programmes require trained staff, normally accessible through social work, health or specialist drug problem services.

The following broad classifications are offered to assist decision-making. Responsibilities of, and action by, school staff is likely to focus the following range of activities:

• support for young children and those with limited understanding;
• a combination of support and discipline for pupils involved in experimenting with solvents, alcohol or controlled drugs;
• discipline (potentially exclusion);
• referral to police or social work for advice and guidance about handling an incident. In some circumstances they will need to be actively involved but it will be for the police and social work to initiate their active involvement where appropriate; and
• referral to police or social work for assessment and treatment for incidents involving aggressive or violent behaviour related to drug addiction and extortion and recurrent drug misuse on school premises.

2.4 Procedure for dealing with incidents involving adults

Some schools may encounter situations in which concerns about drug misuse or related behaviour involve a parent or other adult rather than pupils, e.g.:

• adults may attend school premises under the influence of alcohol or drugs;
• a parent or adult may attempt to remove a child from school premises during or at the end of the school day whilst under the influence of alcohol or drugs;
• an adult may behave aggressively, intimidate or threaten staff or assault school staff or pupils;
• school staff may be concerned that a parent or family member's drug misuse may put the child at risk; or
• an adult may be involving pupils in drug misuse or the supply of drugs to other pupils.

These examples are not exhaustive, and schools may face a wide variety of circumstances. The head teacher will need to take into account the safety of the whole school community including staff when determining the appropriate course of action. As in dealing with drug-related incidents involving pupils, some situations will require immediate action in collaboration with other agencies to ensure the safety and protection of any child or children. The degree of risk may depend on the age and stage of development of the child and the school's knowledge and previous experience of the adult concerned.

If school staff are not confident that an adult is able to provide appropriate care and supervision of a child because they are under the influence of drugs or alcohol they should attempt to contact an alternative adult carer for the child before contacting social work services and, if necessary, the police. If there are concerns over the safety of the child school staff should attempt to persuade the adult not to leave the premises with the child until appropriate assistance arrives. If the adult insists on leaving school staff should not attempt to restrain them but must immediately inform social work and the police. If an adult is acting threateningly or aggressively on school premises the head teacher or other responsible member of staff should call the police. Similarly if school staff have concerns about an adult or adults supplying drugs on or near school premises, or to any of their pupils outwith school premises, the Headteacher should consult with the police, if necessary with advice and support from the education authority.

2.5 Procedure for dealing with incidents involving staff

Drug-related incidents involving staff should be covered by separate welfare policy and/or disciplinary procedures. Teachers and other school staff responsible for the welfare and supervision of pupils are in a position of significant trust. All schools and local education authorities should ensure guidance and procedures are in place to respond to allegations, concerns about, or evidence of drug misuse by staff, or supply of drugs to pupils, and purchase of alcohol for pupils by staff. These should set out the separate processes which may be initiated in response to any such allegations, concerns or evidence:

• any criminal conduct by staff should be referred to the police for investigation;
• conduct which may have put children at risk may require the social work service to carry out child protection inquiries in respect of a child or children;
• local education authority disciplinary procedures, or equivalent in locally managed or independent schools;
• reporting of professional staff to the General Teaching Council for Scotland.

Any or all of these processes may occur concurrently or sequentially but the need to ensure the welfare of any child or children is the paramount consideration. Child protection procedures and the conduct of any criminal investigation should take precedence over disciplinary or other internal education authority or agency procedures.

2.6 Recording an incident

The school should make sure that systematic arrangements for recording an incident of drug misuse are in place.

Accurate, factual records of all drug-related incidents are required in school and education authority file. Such records may be required by other agencies such as health professionals, police, social workers or the Reporter to the Children's Panel.

To support accuracy, staff recording action should file their records as soon possible after the incident. (Schools should use the recording form agreed with/provided by their local authority but an exemplar recording proforma is provided in the supplementary material for information).

The school procedures require to comply with national policy on pupil records and data protection. In brief, the records must be:

• retained in the pupil's file for at least 5 years;
• transferred during the pupil's school career;
• open to scrutiny by a pupil over the age of 16 (pupils under the age of 16 require parental consent); and
• approved by the pupil and any named other before disclosure to others outwith the school.

2.7 Review of local policies and procedures

Schools should ensure that their existing welfare and disciplinary policies take account of procedures for managing drug misuse and that there are effective links with the DAT forward action plan in place. The following policies and procedures may require review to take account of the need to manage drug-related incidents effectively, and the need for additional advice for staff:

• administration of medication in school;
• arrangements for reporting absence and keeping confidential records;
• extra-curricular activities including residential excursions;
• child protection, including contact with health, social work services and police;
• support for pupils, discipline and exclusion;
• staff welfare and disciplinary arrangements; and
• guides for pupils, prospectuses for parents and staff handbooks.

2.8 Staff development

All teaching and ancillary staff require to understand their respective responsibilities for the school's policy and procedures on drug misuse. This will require some professional development. In addition, key staff require regularly up-dated training on:

• emergency procedures;
• action for medical emergencies when a person is unconscious, having trouble breathing, seriously disorientated or has taken a harmful toxic substance;
• recognising symptoms of drug misuse;
• interviewing and recording;
• confidentiality; and
• deciding how best to manage an incident of drug misuse.

Through the school's ongoing procedures for staff development and review, the school staff development co-ordinator should systematically organise training to meet the identified needs of key staff such as the designated "first aider", guidance teachers, welfare co-ordinator/headteacher. Such training would normally draw upon support from the education authority and other relevant agencies such as social work, health services, specialist drugs agencies and the police.

Opportunities for inter-agency training involving, for example, teachers, social work staff and police should be considered so that clearer, mutual understanding of each agency's roles, expectations and responsibilities develop.

2.9 Parental and pupil involvement

Parents should be informed and involved in any drug-related incident involving their child. Schools should have clearly defined arrangements for communicating with and involving parents and pupils both about their policies and procedures for dealing with drug misuse and when dealing with individual drug-related incidents. These arrangements should take account of:

• emergency parental contacts and medical consent forms;
• parental legal responsibilities and rights;
• school's duty to provide information and work in partnership with parents;
• the right of the child to express views, and consent to medical treatment;
• the age and ability of the child to understand;
• special needs such as communication or learning difficulties requiring an interpreter or advocate;
• background factors such as medical condition and record of previous drug misuse/exclusion or other disciplinary action;
• children looked after by the local authority or those over 16 and living away from home; and
• need to consult the School Board/parents in arriving at the school policy for drug misuse.

Parental involvement requires the school to share information about allegations of, or concerns about, drug misuse by their child, notifying parents of any drug-related incident involving their child. The school should involve parents at an early stage and provide regular progress reports thereafter. They should include parents in any meetings to plan how to respond to such matters. Where the decision has been taken that active involvement by the police or social work services is required, schools should discuss with the agencies concerned how best to involve the parents.

In exceptional cases police or social work rather than the school staff, will contact parents. This should be determined by all the agencies following inter-agency discussion and planning. These may be cases in which social work services are carrying out child protection inquiries related to an incident or the police and social work services are carrying out a joint investigation under local child protection procedures. Such cases are subject to national guidance set out in Protecting Children- A Shared Responsibility: guidance on inter-agency co-operation (see also paragraph 1.4).

Where a child is looked after by the local authority away from home, or is under the supervision of the local authority by virtue of a supervision requirement, the school should contact the social work service to discuss how to manage the drug-related incident and for advice about how to contact and inform the child's parents, in view of the local authority's particular responsibilities towards children whom they look after.

Schools should ensure that pupils have an appropriate understanding of the school's policy on drug misuse and their rights and responsibilities within this.

Pupils need to be clear about:

• the consequences of involvement in drug misuse and the action the school may take;
• what to do if they find drugs, medicine bottles, syringes, broken glass;
• school policy on drug misuse - this would include bullying, incitement to experiment, possession, supplying, addiction and over-dose - as appropriate to the school/age-group;
• disclosure, limits to confidentiality and referral to other agencies when pupils' welfare is at risk;
• access to first aid - where to go, who to see, what to say to get help;
• storage and supervision of medicine taken by pupils; and
• parents' right to information.

2.10 Arrangements for pastoral care and health and safety

Appropriate school arrangements will include:

• log, secure storage and facilities for emergency first aid, including resuscitation and safe disposal of body fluids;
• displays of information about access to support groups and helplines such as Childline and the NHS helpline;
• staff with up-to-date training to recognise the symptoms of drug misuse, provide emergency first aid and identify the need for support from other agencies;
• emergency contact telephone numbers for parents and other agencies such as recognised specialist agencies which deal specifically with drug-related issues and/or young people, health and social services;
• emergency medical information; and
• multi-agency procedures covering the work of visiting professionals and including disclosure, confidentiality, assessment, parental involvement and referral to outside agencies.

2.11 Needles and syringes

Discarded needles and used syringes present health and safety implications for school staff and pupils. The head teacher should seek urgent advice from the local authority Environmental Health and/or Cleansing Department about safe disposal.

Discarded injecting equipment should only be removed by persons appropriately trained and equipped to do so. The school should have agreed procedures to prevent physical contact with articles which may be contaminated with blood.

In most cases local authority Environmental Health Departments will be able to provide guidance, training and equipment.

Pupils must be strongly directed to avoid contact with needles and syringes and should report any incident to appropriate members of staff.

Staff, if not properly trained or equipped, should isolate discarded needles and syringes from pupils and other staff members until professional assistance is available.

Needles and syringes can only be transported or stored safely in a "sharps box".

2.12 Media attention

Schools should consider with the education authority and other agencies and put in place a strategy for dealing with any approaches from the media (see also paragraph 3.5).

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