This guidance provides support for the youth service on effective drug education and prevention, early intervention, management of drug-related incidents, drug policy development, and advice on training for youth workers in these areas. The aim of the guidance is to support the personal, social and health needs of all young people with whom the youth service interacts by:

• updating and clarifying policy and practice in the light of Transforming Youth Work (DfES, 2002); Every Child Matters (DfES, 2004) and other recent developments including the Green Paper Youth Matters (DfES, 2005)
• helping to raise the quality of provision in drug education, drug prevention and policy development
• enabling youth workers to offer young people effective drug education and support appropriate to their needs, including early identification of needs, harm minimisation and onward referral where appropriate
• providing support for youth workers and their managers in a challenging area of practice, in the context of the voluntary relationship between young people and the youth sector
• providing a basis for training of youth workers as part of the substance misuse workforce.