§ Paul FlynnTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of(a) Operation CHARLIE and (b) other anti-drugs education programmes in reducing drug use in those who took part in them in each of the past five years. [79404]
828W
§ Mr. Bob AinsworthThe results of three major drug education programmes, developed by the Home Office, have been published during the past five years.
In 1997, the Home Office published an evaluation of Project CHARLIE (Chemical Abuse Resolution Lies in Education). This project involved 44 children in primary schools in Hackney between 1991 and 1993. Four years after the programme both tobacco and illegal drug use were significantly lower among Project CHARLIE children than among pupils who had not been involved in the project.
In 2001, final results of the NE Choices programme were published. This prevention programme, based in the north-east of England, was targeted at young people aged between 13 and 16. There was no evidence of an impact of the programme on the overall prevalence of drug use. However, a small proportion (2 per cent.) of pupils changed their drug taking behaviour from consumption of Class A drugs to the use of cannabis, solvents or nitrites or to non-use.
Similar findings are found in the 2002 results of the evaluation of the Integrated Programme (IP). The IP is based on North American evidence that school programmes that are reinforced by parent involvement and community engagement have an impact on reducing drug taking. The IP was designed and delivered to adolescents in Northern England during 1998 to 1999. The IP was a demonstration project that was too small to generate significant reductions in prevalence. However, the results suggest that young people who received the IP were more likely to reduce harder drug use and maintain a lower-risk drug-taking repertoire than those who had not participated in the programme.
Since these three projects were commissioned, an overview of international research has been completed. This identified two prevention programmes with the greatest impact on behaviour which had been developed in the United States. On the basis of this evidence, the Government have established a research programme called "Blueprint". This will determine whether elements of US "what works" programmes: (1) can be implemented within the UK settings; (2) have potential to be effective in reducing drug use, and (3) have added value for schools, parents and young people.