Drug and Alcohol Testing – Pro's and Con's

This article is intended as a companion piece to our other article on drug and alcohol testing programmes. It aims to give a brief introduction to some of the common positives and negatives, pros and cons that can be encountered when organisations decide to implement testing programmes in their workplaces.

Pros of Drug and Alcohol Testing.

Increased Safety:

Drug testing in the workplace can make the workplace a safer place to be for employees and customers alike. In safety critical industries this increase in safety is magnified and the positives benefits of drug and alcohol testing programmes massively increased. Testing programmes can also offer piece of mind to employees and customers alike.

Reduces Accidents: 

Evidence exists which suggests that drug and alcohol use increases the risk of accidents in the workplace. Those under the influence of drug and alcohol whilst at work clearly increase the risk of workplace accidents. In industries where travel is an essential part of the role this risk of accidents increases greatly, given the well known increased risk of road traffic accidents by those impaired by drug and alcohol use. For employers with staff in this position it is their responsibility to ensure their staff are fit to travel on company business.

Good Practice:

For employers, the implementation of effective drug and alcohol policy is not just about drug and alcohol testing programmes. Employers will find themselves open to possible litigation if they do not have effective policies and procedures in place when problems arise. Employers have a responsibility under the misuse of drugs act 1971 to ensure that drugs are not used or possessed on their premises and have responsibilities under the road traffic act 1988 and the transport and works act 1992 if employees drive company vehicles. Employers also have legal responsibilities under the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 and Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999. With this complicated policy and legal framework in mind, it is essential that organisations obtain professional advice to ensure that they are meeting their legal obligations.

Supportive for Staff with Substance Misuse Problems:

Companies with effective drug and alcohol policy in place are in a strong position to pro-actively support staff who may be experiencing difficulties with substance misuse. This support is not necessarily about detection through testing programmes, it is also about effective procedures that offer support and guidance to staff with substance misuse problems.

Cons of Drug Testing in the Workplace

Privacy:

Drug testing in the workplace can give an employer the option for staff to submit tests as a requirement of their employment. Some staff may consider this an invasion of personal rights, privacy and be discriminatory practice against employees, especially when there is no perceived cause to conduct a test.

Cost:

There is an inevitable cost attached to the implementation of drug and alcohol testing programmes. The different tests available (which are highlighted in another of our articles) all carry differing costs, timescales and accuracy. Whilst testing in safety critical workplace environments can pay for itself (as the cost implication if procedures are not in place can be extremely high) for other businesses the cost can be considerable, especially for large organisations with many staff to test.  

Issues of Trust:

If not properly managed drug and alcohol testing programmes can result in negative perceptions from staff to managers and vice-versa. A ‘them and us’ culture can develop in organisations with drug and alcohol testing programmes becoming an example of ‘managers not trusting us’ or ‘thinking we are all using drugs’. These issues are a clear example of the need for organisations to employ and consult with experts in the implementation of drug and alcohol testing programmes.

As we have seen organisations need to be aware of the positives and negatives of implementing drug and alcohol testing programmes to ensure that the desired and positive outcomes are felt within their organisations.

Without professional support and advice from specialist organisations it can be easy for programmes such as drug and alcohol testing to have negative implications and consequences unforeseen when first envisaged. Like many issues it is vital that professional advice is sought and heeded to ensure that organisations observe more ‘pros’ than ‘cons’ after implementation.

Mark Bowles

The Training Effect

Drug and Alcohol Testing – What are the options?

This article aims to provide information on the most common types of drug and alcohol tests currently available. For those wishing further information on the pros and cons of drug and alcohol testing programmes please take a look at my other articles.

Below are 4 of the most commonly used drug and alcohol testing methods. They vary widely In sensitivity, accuracy and accurate testing period. Like all medical tests accuracy can be affected widely by multiple factors.

   

1.     Urine Drug Screen

Urine drug tests are probably the most widely used option, certainly in the workplace. The test consists of a sample of urine being obtained from the employee; often this can take place at a off-site collection facility, the sample is then sent to a laboratory for testing.

On-site drug and alcohol testing is becoming more common, this allows results to be obtained at the workplace/collection site. This can represent a more cost effective option and can be very useful when ongoing testing is required, in a residential rehabilitation programme for instance.

2.      

            Hair testing 

    

    Hair testing represents a far more accurate and long term testing option than urine testing.  Hair testing represents a non-invasive testing option, one which can test for a large number of drugs and is relatively low cost. It has advantages over urine and saliva testing as it can detect substances in the system over a longer time period.

3.     Blood Testing

Blood testing is an invasive and rarely used testing option and is primarily used in medical settings in the context of a full toxicology screen. The accuracy of blood testing in the context of illegal drug and alcohol use is also of questionable value as any use would have to be relatively recent to be detected.

4.      Saliva / Oral Fluid based Screen

A very common example of drug and alcohol screening, often conducted with a swab inserted into the side of the mouth. This test is accurate only for relatively recent use, and as such can be of more use in transport situations and safety critical situations. These tests can give instant results and can be very useful in the workplace and in residential programmes where abstinence is required.

There is a responsibility on all employers to have an effective drug and alcohol policy in place, regardless if they implement an employee drug testing programme or not. Unfortunately many organisations still do not have robust policy in place, leaving themselves open to possible litigation.

Specialist and experienced organisations do exist however who can support organisations to develop effective approaches to workplace drug and alcohol concerns. This support ranges from training for managers and senior staff to policy development and consultation on the implementation of testing programmes.

What we can be sure of is the need for organisations in the public and private sector to ensure they have robust policy and procedures in place to manage drug and alcohol concerns as they arise, effective policy cannot prevent drug and alcohol issues but it can ensure that your business is prepared if and when they do occur.

Mark Bowles

The Training Effect

Families with Complex Needs – An Introduction

In the UK public services are facing unprecedented demand in a period of financial and political upheaval. A growing realisation across public services is the need to engage with families with complex needs, those presenting with profound and enduring health and social needs, the often named ‘high cost’ families.

For the past few years successive government initiatives have attempted to address this issue with varying degrees of success, the latest incarnation is the coalition’s flagship Community Budgets.

All of these governmental approaches have tried to reduce the costs associated with families with complex needs whilst at the same time improving outcomes for them.  This cost reduction and outcome improvement is achieved through a ‘joining up’ of services locally, mapping of resource to reduce duplication, increased efficiencies and where possible, the pooling of budgets and resources.

The current experience of social care services is that families with more than one vulnerability are the norm rather than the exception. These vulnerabilities or problems may include but are not exclusive to:  drug and alcohol misuse, mental health, involvement with the criminal justice system and domestic abuse. These vulnerabilities lead to not only poor outcomes for the adults in the family but also for their children. Where more than one vulnerability exists it does not butt up neatly against the other, it is the overlapping nature of these vulnerabilities and the co-dependency between them that causes the complex social problems that successive governments and successive interventions have tried to address.

These attempts have all been in reaction to the realisation that these so called high cost families can cost the taxpayer anywhere from £250,000 to £350,000 a year to manage, in real terms however the true cost is much higher. If we were to include educational costs and general services, or the reduction in taxation and NI from worklessness the quoted figure would increase exponentially.  Also, this figure doesn’t take into consideration the fact that often no perceptible improvement in outcomes for these families can be measured over the long term, effectively £250,000 to £350,000 of investment for no measurable return.

With the renewed focus on initiatives to support these high cost families local authorities are tasked to have full roll out of community budgets by 2013. This presents major challenges to commissioners, providers and local authorities in a time of cuts to public spending at every level.

The challenge for local authorities and commissioners cannot be underestimated, tasked as they are with finding ways to improve outcomes for these families, interpret and deliver effective interventions as part of community budgets, effectively evaluate these programmes, reduce cost and pool budgets across localities.  The need for effective support from specialist providers with experience of these approaches at a local and central governmental level will be vital to ensure successful delivery.

What we can be sure of is the need for co-ordinated approaches to ensure that community budgets can achieve its fundamental aim, the reduction in reliance on the state by complex families.

Mark Bowles

The Training Effect

Animal Assisted Therapy in the Secondary Classroom

Introduction

Programmes using animals to initiate behaviour change in children have often been targeted towards younger, primary aged children. Certainly the small amount of evidence that does exist is focused on programmes with a younger age group.

However animal assisted therapy (AAT) and animal assisted intervention (AAI) programmes for older secondary age children can be just as beneficial, therapeutic and worthwhile as those delivered to their younger counterparts.

Examples exist where secondary age children have been engaged in animal assisted therapy programmes for some time, the Ian Mikado school in Tower Hamlets being a prime example of an effective programme focused on improving behaviour in challenging and difficult children and young people. In Kent, the organisation Childs Best Friend have been offering a support programme to children in Secondary schools with mild and emerging emotional health and behavioural issues.

What these interventions have found is that by using animals, mainly dogs, we can influence and make positive behaviour change for some children. Whilst AAI and AAT may not be a panacea, for some children animals can represent an intervention which can make a real change for them when other, more traditional approaches may have failed.

Many of these positive changes may be observed through the positive interactions with the animals and from the content of the respective programmes, in the case of child’s best friend the children follow a basic obedience programme, by working with the dogs and learning about their behaviour the children can be supported to examine and change their own.

The child’s best friend programme is currently subject to a research project and is due to report its findings in 2012.

The Setting

The secondary school and classroom is a very different place to those found in the primary setting.

• Schools themselves are much larger
• So are the children
• As is the noise they generate

These must be key considerations when assessing the suitability of your dog or any other animal to enter a secondary school setting.

Secondary schools are incredible large complex organisations containing up to 1500 pupils and as many as 300 staff.

Given the size, organisation of visits can be an issue.

Communication can be difficult between departments and certain staff may be surprised at your arrival for example.

Space to deliver the sessions can also be problematic; rooms may not have been arranged etc.

With these considerations in mind it is vitally important that we attempt to arrange everything clearly with the school before arrival. This is the best way for us to avoid any of the issues listed above.

The Content

Within the child’s best friend programme content within secondary schools is built on the same principles and approaches as the primary interventions.

As such the core of the programme in both settings is as follows:

Basic Obedience – Children would be encouraged to teach the dog basic obedience skills and techniques whilst being fully supervised by the handler.

Grooming – Children would have the opportunity to care for the dogs and be taught about the importance of this by the handler.

Discussions – Scenarios and role-plays can be very useful to stimulate group discussion which relate to behaviour change.

There are some obvious and key differences between conducting work in Secondary schools as opposed to Primary. The main         points are:

Maturity – Secondary age children have different needs and concerns to those of primary age children, we must be prepared for the possibility of more adult language and discussion

Ability – With regards to the basic obedience elements of the programme, some secondary age children will be able to progress faster and reach a higher ability than primary age children. We need to ensure that we have enough activities available to ensure children are engaged, challenged and stimulated for the entire programme.

Need – Often the needs of secondary age children are very different to those in the primary classroom. As young people mature the effect of problematic home lives can present in different ways. Also young people may need more practical support as they get older. For adolescents empowerment is crucial to successful outcomes, wherever possible young people need to be assisted to solve their problems themselves with support.

This article aims to give a very brief introduction to the work of Childs Best Friend, a leading innovative provider of animal assisted therapy and animal assisted interventions for children and young people. Please visit their website for further details.

Mark Bowles


The Training Effect

Hidden Harm – An introduction to substance misusing parents

Hidden Harm, the 2004 report estimated that there are between 250.000 and 350.000 children of problem drug users in the UK- about 1 child for every problem drug user.

In 2006 alcohol concern estimated that 1.3 million children are affected by parental alcohol problems

It is worth noting that the number of children affected by parental alcohol misuse is five times higher than those affected by parental drug misuse. However the amount spent on services and research has always tended to lean towards drugs rather than alcohol.

Whilst these figures give us some idea of the extent of the problem it is very difficult to give a true reflection for a number of reasons:

Stigma and secrecy associated with problem drinking and drug use

Children may be reluctant to discuss and seek help for fear of the consequences to them and their parents.

Lack of routinely collected information.

What we can be sure is the impact that parental substance misuse can have of children who experience it. The children of substance misusing parents can suffer disadvantage across every domain: social, psychical, psychological and biological.

Whilst we cannot give an exhaustive list of every problem present in this client group, below is an introductory list to some of the major concerns we should be looking for.

Key concerns in relation to parental substance misuse may include:

The child’s basic physical needs not being adequately met.

The child receives inadequate supervision for their age.

Health appointments for the child are not kept or appropriate advice is not sought for any health problems the child may be experiencing.

Disruption to the child’s education or poor school attendance.

Child’s own needs are not being acknowledged or are ignored by their caregiver.

Unrealistic expectations of a child’s abilities.

No clear boundaries between family roles with the child assuming a parental role.

Lack of boundaries and routines for the child.

In addition the child’s daily life may involve a great deal of emotional stress in terms of:

Fearing they may be abandoned.

Fearing that their parent/s may die.

Being afraid their parent/s do not love them. 

Being afraid other people may find out about their parents substance misuse.

Feeling responsible for their parent/s misuse.

Children who live with these daily stresses may present as sad, unhappy and withdrawn.

Their own self-esteem may well be affected as they feel they have no control over events within their own lives.

The children of substance misusing parents alongside young carers can often be one of the least served vulnerable groups by services. As outlined above it can be very difficult to identify these children due to stigma and secrecy associated with problematic drug and alcohol misuse, I would recommended investigating this subject further and links to relevant websites can be found on our site below.

Specialist training in working with substance misusing parents can also be a very effective way to ensure that services are up to date and providing effective support to these vulnerable children.

In summary it is vitally important that services have effective measures in place to support these families and children and screening measures to hopefully identify them at an early and timely stage.

Mark Bowles

The Training Effect

Drug and Alcohol Misuse - What Are The Treatment Options?

The following article aims to give a brief introduction into the main treatment options available to drug users in the UK.

It is not an exhaustive list and many minor and alternative treatments may be used by individuals to varying degrees of success.

Advice and Information

Advice and information is provided by non-specialists such as GP's, A&E departments and for young people schools and youth clubs. It covers topics such as

• Advice and Information on drugs and alcohol, and their effects
• Advice on reduction in drug use and stopping altogether.
• Some harm reduction information if appropriate.
• Local services and how to access
• Other local providers, housing, employment etc.
• Advice and information for significant others, parents, carers, partners etc.

Harm Reduction

Harm reduction services are mainly focused on preventing diseases passed on by contaminated blood (particularly HIV and hepatitis infections), preventing overdose and drug-related death. All drug treatment services should have this as a core element of their service. Harm reduction examples include: 

• needle exchange services,
• Safer injecting advice and support services.
• advice and information on preventing infections associated with drug misuse, particularly hepatitis A, B and C, and HIV (blood-borne viruses)
• testing, advice, information and counselling around hepatitis and HIV
• Hepatitis A and B vaccinations
• Treatment for hepatitis B, C and HIV infection
• Overdose prevention services and reducing drug-related death
• Client assessment and onward referral where appropriate

Community Prescribing

Community prescribing is specialised drug treatment in the context of a care plan. Provided as part of primary care, by a GP specialising in drug misuse or a doctor in drug treatment service. Where clients receive the treatment may depend on the seriousness of their problems, duration in treatment or stability. Prescribing can include: 

• Client stabilisation on substitute medication
• Prescription of substitute medication, such as methadone and buprenorphine, for a sustained period (maintenance prescribing)
• prescribing for withdrawal (community detoxification)
• prescribing for relapse prevention
• stabilisation and withdrawal from sedatives, such as Valium and Temazepam
• prescribing for assisted withdrawal from alcohol, where appropriate
• treatment for stimulant users, which can be prescribing to help relieve symptoms
• non-medical prescribing (by nurses or pharmacists)

Counselling and psychological support

Counselling and psychological support should not be confused with advice and information. Counselling and psychological support should always be carried out by trained and competent professionals and be included in a client's care plan. It needs to be formal, structured, clearly defined on treatment plans and client cantered. Psychological therapies can include cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT), MI (motivational interviewing), coping skills, solution focused therapy, relapse prevention therapy and family therapies.

Structured Day Programmes

Structured day programmes run a set of activities for a fixed period of time (e.g. 12 weeks). Clients attend these services according to a set attendance level (usually 3-5 days a week), as set out in their care plans. There is a timetable of activities which will either be the same for everyone, or be set individually for clients according to their needs. Programmes often include group work, counselling, education and life skills, and creative activities and training.

Detox

Medically known as "assisted withdrawal" detox involves a stay as an inpatient. Most people using detox services are given medication to help clear their bodies of drugs. The inpatient treatment may also include stabilisation on substitute medication, emergency medical care for drug users in crisis, and possibly treatment for stimulant users. As well as inpatient treatment, other services may be offered, such as preparation for entering treatment, counselling and psychological support, help with alcohol problems, harm reduction and treatment for BBV. Inpatient treatment is provided in: 

• hospital wards (usually psychiatric wards)
• drug inpatient units
• residential rehab units with attached detox units

Clients usually enter inpatient treatment through referral from community drug services. It is important that adequate support is made available to people leaving inpatient treatment as this can reduce the risk of relapse.

Residential Rehabilitation (Rehab)

Residential rehabilitation or rehab involves clients staying in a residential unit for weeks maybe months and a complete separation from their current social situation. Residential units normally offer a mixture of group work, counselling and practical and vocational activities. There are several types of residential rehabilitation providers: 

• traditional rehab units,
• crisis intervention units - these usually offer a shorter stay
• residential treatment programmes for particular client groups
• Supported accommodation, where some clients go to after rehab

As with inpatient treatment, clients will generally to referred by community drug services. People coming into rehab services will usually have often gone through detoxification before entering. The detox could have been somewhere else - a hospital, or in the community for example - or at the rehab itself, if it has an attached detox unit.

Aftercare

Aftercare is the support offered when clients leave structured treatment. The aim is to maintain the positive changes that clients have made in their treatment, and support them to return to normal life. Examples include support for housing, education, employment, general health care and relapse prevention.

Mark Bowles

www.thetrainingeffect.co.uk