HSCP Health Improvement staff help develop Public Health Scotland report
Staff from Glasgow City Health and Social Care Partnership (HSCP)’s Health Improvement team have helped shape a new report from Public Health Scotland called ‘Consensus approach on prevention of substance use harm among children and young people’.
The report sets out a shared approach to preventing harm caused by substance use among children and young people in Scotland.
Our Health Improvement Team contributed by joining focus groups and workshops and giving feedback on key themes. These themes were identified using a method called the Delphi process – a structured way of gathering expert views, including from young people, on complex issues.
Sarah Craig, Health Improvement Lead said: “The Health Improvement teams have been crucial in shaping Public Health Scotland’s consensus statement, establishing a national framework. Their emphasis on whole-system collaboration and youth-centred approaches ensures effective, community-engaged, and equitable prevention strategies. They stressed the need for a coordinated national substance use harm prevention strategy for children and young people, with the Delphi process highlighting the necessity for cohesive, consistent, and scalable efforts nationwide.”
The report highlights several important principles that should guide all prevention work:
- working together across sectors: health, education, justice, and community services need to coordinate their efforts
- acting early: prevention should focus on things that protect young people, like support from parents, organised activities and safe environments
- using evidence: prevention strategies should be based on research and adapted to local needs
- putting young people at the centre: their rights, voices, and experiences should shape how prevention work is designed and delivered
The aim of the report is to help build a shared understanding across Scotland of what good prevention looks like, and how it can be applied fairly and consistently.