Medway Insights Project: Violence Related Harms Caused to Young People through Substance Use and/or Distribution
Task
Youth violence linked to substance use and drug supply chains is a critical issue affecting young people. Medway Council are working to reduce violence-related harms associated with substance use and/or distribution, through initiatives such as the Combatting Drugs Partnership and the Police and Crime Commissioner-led response to the Serious Violence Duty. In areas like Medway, the Serious Violence Duty mandates local councils and services to collaborate in tackling these issues by sharing information and coordinating interventions aimed at preventing and reducing serious violence. This approach is critical for addressing the wide range of harms associated with substance use and the violent contexts in which many young people find themselves.
TONIC was commissioned by Medway Council’s Public health team to support this ongoing commitment by gathering feedback from professionals working in the local area about what work is being undertaken to reduce violence-related harms caused to young people (24 years of age or under) through substance use and/or distribution.
The following three key research aims were agreed to guide this insights project:
What local and national strategies exist to combat the issue?
What data is available locally regarding the volume and type of violence-related harms?
What interventions have been commissioned, delivered, and by whom, in Medway?
Approach & Outcome
Online surveys and interviews were conducted to gather relevant information from stakeholders. TONIC received 21 responses to the survey and conducted 25 in-depth interviews. The information captured via these methods, was used to inform TONIC’s response to each of the three research aims. TONIC produced a detailed report, with a corresponding slideshow presentation, comprising of findings from the following activities:
Literature summary: a comprehensive search of databases which were processed for relevancy and analysed – this outlined the problem, strategies linked to addressing this, and best practice approaches.
National and local strategies were considered in the literature review on levels such as school-based interventions, community coalitions, mentoring, and family-based interventions. It was determined that these strategies can be effective and beneficial to the intervention and reduction of violence related harms associated with substance use and/or distribution. It was considered that some approaches may not be effective, such as deterrence and fear focused approaches, which may induce more harm than benefit to children and young people at risk.
Open-source data analysis: Datasets depicting the types and volumes of violence associated with drugs and alcohol in Medway and the areas in which these are clustered were analysed. The available data enabled analysis on some risk factors, such as gang involvement, sexual exploitation, substance misuse and hospital admission data. However relational analysis could not be conducted due to the sparsity in available data sources.
Data mapping framework: TONIC drafted a data mapping framework, which identifies actual and potential sources of local data that could help to understand the extent of the problem of drug-related harm in Medway in the future.
Service mapping: Through survey information and meetings with professionals in the local area, a provision map in Medway was produced, supplemented by online research, which highlighted type of service, target cohort, and potential gaps in provision. This identified numerous local statutory and third sector services delivering in this area.
Recommendations: As a result of the findings, TONIC proposed a series of recommendations, some of which were generalised such as suggestions for future data sharing and analysis, while other were specifically to be considered by youth service provision, the wider youth justice system, and police.
It was recommended overall that youth services and the youth justice system proceed with trauma-informed training in order to centre the children and young people at the core of the service experience. It was further recommended that both services incorporate trips and meaningful activities for children and young people to encourage a sense of purpose, achievement and self-worth. It was proposed that the police in Medway should work to build strong relationships with schools, partners, organisations and local businesses in areas of high risk. An overall holistic working between services was highlighted as imperative to improving information sharing and a more robust multi-agency approach was suggested to overcome data barriers and meet shared goals.