The Daniel Spargo-Mabbs Foundation, a drug education charity established in 2014, has been selected to participate in an innovation project funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) to evaluate its universal drug education programme. The research, which is one of four projects aimed at reducing drug use among young people, will be led by Betsy Thom, Professor of Health Policy at Middlesex University, and Fiona Spargo-Mabbs OBE, founder and director of the DSM Foundation.
The drug education programme, targeting 13-15 year-olds, includes teacher training, a video, parent workshops, student workshops, and lesson materials. The Middlesex team, part of the Drug and Alcohol Research Centre, will evaluate the programme using a “whole school” and “whole community” approach, acknowledging the importance of involving parents, carers, and other stakeholders in the community to reduce drug demand among young adolescents.
The research team will examine the effectiveness of the programme and its ability to provide students with the knowledge, skills, and motivation to avoid drug use. A team of health economists from Bangor University will also analyze the costs and benefits of the programme.
Fiona Spargo-Mabbs, founder of the DSM Foundation, expressed her enthusiasm for the project, stating, “As a drug education charity committed to supporting young people to make safer choices about drugs, we not only need to know how best we can do that ourselves, but also how others can too.” She also highlighted the importance of the project in filling the gap in resources and support available to schools, following the death of her 16-year-old son from an accidental overdose of ecstasy.
The DSM Foundation’s drug education programme is currently implemented in around 750 schools, colleges, and community organizations across England and Scotland. In addition to providing workshops for students, parents, and caregivers, the charity also offers training for school and college staff. The charity’s website also offers free, age-appropriate, and evidence-based drugs education lesson resources for teachers to use in their PSHE provision.
The DSM Foundation’s drug education programme is being evaluated as part of a £1.8 million project by NIHR to identify effective programmes in reducing drug demand among young people. The programme was first funded in 2023 and will continue into Phase 2, with data being collected through surveys and focus groups with teachers, pupils, and parents for the final report.
For more information about the DSM Foundation and their work, visit their website at https://www.dsmfoundation.org.uk/. Media enquiries can be sent to media@dsmfoundation.org.uk.
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