Substance Advice Service

The Substance Advice Service is a specialist service for young people, families, carers, and professionals.

We provide young people with support, information, and advice about drugs, alcohol, and tobacco. We can also provide treatment interventions for anyone who wants to reduce or to stop their substance use.

As part of our service, we can provide intermediate and advanced level drugs training sessions for council employees and other relevant professionals. These can be booked via CPD online.

Other services include:

• Individual support and counselling for young people, families and carers
• treatment services
• consultation and support to partner agencies
• health promotion at events
• educational resources

Education and treatment services

SAS provide an individual tailored programme of drugs and alcohol education and treatment for young people.

This includes:

• holistic health assessment
• advice, guidance and support
• harm reduction
• relapse prevention
• groupwork in schools and other youth organisations
• referral to tier 4 services
• through care and after care
• diversionary activities
• support to stop smoking

A referral can be made to our service in one of two ways:

1. a young person can refer themselves by calling our telephone number
2. a referral can be made by a parent, carer or professional - but only with the young person's permission.

In the second option above, we can send out a referral form by post or electronically for completion.

There is no waiting list and there is no charge for the service.

We meet with young people wherever they feel more comfortable. This may be at home, in the community, at school or college or within our building.

We welcome compliments, comments, and complaints about our service. You may share these by writing to our team manager at the address below.

Once your complaint is received, we will aim to respond to you within 14 days.

We provide a confidential service to young people. However, there may be times when permission is required from parents/carers for young people to be able to meet with us.

Information may also need to be shared with other services if we have concerns about a person’s welfare and safety. Wherever possible, we will seek your permission for information to be shared.

The Substance Advice Service records information about the people we work with. This is kept securely on computer or paper files.

We also record data that is shared with outside agencies. We do not share any identifiable information with them.