Studies show that children and teens who learn about the dangers of drugs at home are less likely to take drugs than those who are not taught about drugs by their parents. Unfortunately, many parents lack knowledge about substance abuse and find it difficult to talk with their children about drugs and alcohol.
In order to improve parent-child communication on the dangers of substance abuse and prevent children from experimenting with and taking drugs, the Romanian National Anti-Drug Agency (NAA) has been training parents in how to talk to their children about the issue of drug use.
In cooperation with the Romanian Ministry of Education, Research, Youth and Sport, the NAA has trained school psychologists across Romania in how to prevent drug use among children and teens. Information material has been developed for school psychologists and parents, and 75 school psychologists have been trained by experts in drug education for parents and teens. These school psychologists have in turn trained 1000 parents of teenagers in 44 small towns and villages in the counties of Ilfov, Constanta and Bihor in how to prevent their children from taking drugs.
The project is currently analysing the effects of the parental training. The results will be presented at the final project conference in Brasov on 15 April 2011. Based on the seminar's conclusions, a guide on good practice for training parents on the dangers of drug use will be developed, and the supporting information material will be re-evaluated and upgraded correspondingly. The good practice guide will later be used for developing similar projects in other countries.
Photo: The National Anti-Drug Agency in Romania.