A major new pilot to educate children and young people on the harm and consequences of taking illicit drugs has been delivered, co-funded by County Durham and Darlington Police and Crime Commissioner Joy Allen.
The project was delivered by the drug and alcohol education charity Daniel Spargo Mabbs Foundation, initially at Greenfield Academy in Newton Aycliffe and Bishop Barrington Academy in Bishop Auckland. There are plans for two further schools in Darlington to join.
It included the provision of parent workshops to help parents and carers confidently manage conversations around drug harm with their children, and awareness sessions targeted at pupils themselves, alongside staff training to help teaching staff better identify and support pupils at risk.
Pupils also received a powerful live theatre performance recounting the tragic story of 16-year-old Daniel Spargo-Mabbs, who died from an accidental overdose of ecstasy and the lifelong impact his death has had on his family and friends.
The pilot followed the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs’ (ACMD) publication of the findings of its Drug Misuse Prevention Review last year, which highlighted the importance of education in reducing drug-related harm among children and young people. This was supported by a public survey undertaken by Joy Allen which showed that over 50% of respondents placed tackling drug-related criminality as one of their top three priorities.
The Commissioner part-funded the £3,270 project for both Durham and Darlington. In County Durham, pilot schools contributed the remaining costs, while in Darlington the schools’ contribution was part‑funded by Darlington Public Health.
The PCC has prioritised a prevention-first approach to crime and outlined a series of commitments in her Police, Crime and Justice Plan aimed at making communities safer, stronger, and more resilient to drug and alcohol‑related crime.
This includes ensuring there are preventative services available for young people to prevent and deter drug and alcohol abuse under her Safer People Safer Places priority.
Police and Crime Commissioner Joy Allen said: “Drug education is urgently needed in our schools. In my role as Commissioner, I have talked to parents who have suffered the devastation of losing a child to drugs. Their heart-breaking stories inspired me to take action to stop any other child’s life from being stolen by drugs.
“Every conversation, every warning we share, every young person we reach, could save a life. We are doing everything in our power to ensure young people fully heed the risks involved and have the courage from an early age to say ‘no’.
“This pilot was an important step in expanding support and resources in educational settings, helping parents and teachers to competently handle conversations around drug use, protecting young people and our wider communities from future harm.
“Drugs drive nearly half of all acquisitive crime and a huge proportion of violent crime. We have to act to break the cycle and stop these problems recurring generation after generation and creating more victims. By intervening early, we not only prevent escalation into addiction and offending, we also reduce the future burden on our public services.”
The pilot aimed to fill a vital gap in education on the harms and risks of illicit drug use among children and young people across the force area and was an extension of work already taking place across the UK.
Fiona Spargo‑Mabbs OBE, director and founder of the Daniel Spargo Mabbs Foundation, said: “We were so pleased to be able to bring our play to schools in Durham and Darlington, and we are very grateful to the Police and Crime Commissioner and to Darlington Public Health for contributing to the costs of this important work, along with drug education workshops for students, parents and carers, and training for teachers.
“When I lost my sixteen‑year‑old son Dan to ecstasy I committed myself to doing all I could to prevent any harm happening to anyone else’s child. The play that told Dan’s story was at the heart of that work, touching young hearts and minds and changing how they saw the risks and consequences of drug use and the impact it could have on themselves and those that loved them.
“We very much hope that this will be just the start of working in partnership with schools, families and communities in the area, to support young people to keep themselves and their friends safe from drug‑related harm.”
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