Amy Winehouse Foundation Resilience Programme: 2020

Amy Winehouse Foundation Resilience Programme: A summary of key findings from a 5 year evaluation

2020 1.0 Who we are

Between 2014 and 2019, The National With specialist experience in working Lottery Community Fund supported the with credible peers in recovery who volunteer delivery of the Resilience Programme, their time, the Foundation aims to support, reaching out to over 300,000 pupils across inform and inspire vulnerable and 260 schools in England. The programme disadvantaged young people to reach their provided sessions to pupils, parents and full potential. Addaction is one of the UK’s carers, and teachers to support young leading drug, alcohol and mental health people to make healthier decisions about charities, providing assessment, support and alcohol and drug use and to manage peer treatment to people impacted by these pressure, self-esteem and risky situations. issues. Volunteers who were in stable recovery, who were free from alcohol and drug use, A team of researchers who specialised in were fully trained to support the delivery of developmental psychology and family and sessions. young person addiction who were based at the University of Bath and Harvard The programme was delivered in partnership University supported the partners to between the Amy Winehouse Foundation independently evaluate the programme. and Addaction. The Amy Winehouse Mobile and online technology was key to Foundation works to prevent the effects of support data collection. drug and alcohol misuse on young people.

1 2 1.1 The Resilience Deliveries for young people: Deliveries for teachers: Programme Approach • Life share sessions in schools assemblies Training workshops that focus on alcohol • Peer pressure, self-esteem and risky and drug education and awareness and situation management workshops its relevance for pupil safeguarding and referral pathways. The Resilience Programme placed young • 6 Skills4Change sessions for people at the heart of its approach. targeted support with informed life It achieved this in two ways: choices, wellbeing and resilience Intended outcomes: 1 The programme worked directly with 2 The programme worked with parents, Intended outcomes: • Increased knowledge about the effects young people to provide alcohol and carers and teachers to enable them to of alcohol and drugs on young people drug education and awareness sessions identify the signs that young people • Improved knowledge and an increase in alcohol and drug awareness • Greater confidence to identify signs through school assemblies and might be engaging in risk behaviours that of problematic substance use classroom workshops. These focused could lead to alcohol or drug use. It also • Greater confidence to make informed on peer pressure, self-esteem and emphasised the importance of having decisions about substance use • Greater confidence to have conversations with pupils about managing risk situations. Where more informed conversations with young • For young people who engaged in substance use focussed support was necessary, young people, so that they could be supported Skills4Change, the intended outcomes • Greater confidence to implement people could also engage with the six and to enable them to access help if also included an increase in resilience and mental wellbeing safeguarding protocols and referrals sessions offered within the necessary. for pupils within schools Skills4Change programme. These reinforced education and awareness The Resilience Programme worked in ten and provided support on approaches to established Addaction sites in England, which included 260 schools and local making positive life choices and Deliveries for parents and carers: Engagement with volunteers: healthier decisions, optimising mental partner relationships. Sessions were delivered to over 300,000 young people. wellbeing and on becoming resilient, Alcohol and drug education and Training programme, volunteer supervision despite life’s challenges. The diagrams opposite outline what the awareness sessions. for session deliveries and support for programme deliveries were and cite the professional development. intended outcomes for each beneficiary group.

Intended outcomes: Intended outcomes:

• Increased knowledge about the effects • Increased confidence, improvement of alcohol and drugs on young people in self-efficacy • Greater confidence to identify signs of • Increased skills to take up training, problematic substance use education, employment and further • Greater confidence to talk with volunteering opportunities children about alcohol and drugs • Continued engagement in recovery • Improved knowledge about accessing support for children, parents and carers.

3 4 The Amy Winehouse Foundation Resilience The delivery teams consisted of a specialist Programme provided universal and alcohol and drugs practitioner, a volunteer targeted alcohol and drugs education to coordinator and programme volunteers who pupils in secondary schools in England. The were in recovery and represented ‘credible universal education took place through: peers’. Within the Resilience Programme structure, volunteers were recruited and i) assembly deliveries which comprised ‘life graduated to become a member of the delivery shares’ and interactive discussions. The life team through an accredited ten session training shares were the credible peer’s personal programme. In addition to being central stories, that focused on their thoughts, members of the teams, volunteers were also feelings and behaviours throughout their invited to participate in the evaluation of the journeys into stable recovery. Volunteers Resilience Programme. It was anticipated that engaged in training and supervision the skills and experience developed through throughout and the content they discussed participation in the Resilience Programme would was carefully planned to ensure it was age contribute to increased readiness for further appropriate and educational. volunteering, training, education and employment opportunities. To promote ii) smaller classroom workshops that focused consistency and programme fidelity across sites, on peer pressure, risky behaviour and the delivery was guided by a practice manual. self-esteem in the context of alcohol and drug use.

Where pupils identified themselves, or were Pupils: identified formally through referral processes in Life-share schools as potentially being at risk of being assemblies impacted by substance misuse, they had a choice, Pupils: Parents: following assessment, to participate with Self-esteem, Information peer pressure & I get so much feedback from young people targeted support. This was offered to eligible session & risk behaviour sign posting workshops pupils in schools through the six session saying how approachable we are. We have Skills4Change Programme and/or via one-to- Resilience seen an increase in young people engaging one support through a substance misuse Programme Teachers: Components in community services following our treatment organisation in the local area. Training Pupils: sessions & Skills4Change The Resilience Programme also delivered parent school sessions sessions too. At the end of the day, this is support sessions and training workshops to teachers to what it is all about. That is why I love my job. promote knowledge, awareness and the You are out and about in schools,working confidence to communicate with pupils about Volunteers: Pupils: alcohol and drugs, especially if there was concern Training Onward referral programme, for support with young people, their teachers and that a young person might be at risk of being supervision & when support necessary impacted by substance misuse. their families.

Programme Coordinator

5 6 2.1 Resilience Programme 2.0 Evaluation Team A summary of the Key Findings Between 2014 and 2019, an evaluation was the mobile App and online technology for conducted by a small team of researchers. the programme evaluation. The outcomes During this time, Professor Haste was based that were identified from the evaluation are at Harvard University and Professor Richard summarised in the rest of this briefing Joiner and Claire Hannah-Russell were document for each of the programme based in the Department of Psychology at beneficiary groups. the University of Bath. Dr Sean Radford, a medical doctor and IT specialist, provided

7 8 Fig. 1: Immediate delivery of the 2.2 Young Person Outcomes Resilience Programme

More than 80,000 young people took part in Pupils also told us that they were more the evaluation. For school-based alcohol and confident about safer decision making and drug education programmes, this is one of the felt better able to manage situations that largest programmes to have been delivered involved risks in the context of potential externally and evaluated through a charitable exposure to alcohol and drugs. partnership in England. The majority of young The Randomised Trial: Following the 36% of pupils people in the schools said they achieved the feedback from a large sample of young people, said they used alcohol and intended outcomes of the programme. a more detailed look at young person feedback 4% of pupils was conducted to explore whether young Pupils told us that their knowledge and said they used drugs people reported a change in substance use general awareness had increased after they before taking part in the programme regardless as to whether they engaged in the participated in both the assemblies and the 75% Resilience Programme or not. We randomly workshops that explored peer pressure, self- allocated schools to engage with the Then pupils immediately esteem and management of risky situations Resilience Programme either immediately or workshops. of pupils said confidence increased to make took part in the assemblies safer decisions about alcohol and drugs. after an eight-week delay and we identified and workshops some interesting findings. Due to real-world contexts where schools were busy with timetables, teaching the national curriculum 73% and with limited space and classroom 12 months later resources, the evaluation needed to 83% compromise significantly. For example, data of pupils were more confident to manage had to be completely anonymised, 29% peer pressure, self-esteem and experimental conditions could not be applied, of pupils said the Resilience Programme said they used alcohol risky situations. there were often between one and a maximum format was really useful with large assemblies, of four opportunities to visit a school who life-shares and smaller workshops. engaged with the programme and timing was managed by the school itself. In the first 82% condition, we delivered the programme immediately and what we found was a 3% 75% 72% reduction in the percentage of pupils who told said they used drugs of pupils said they would seek support if us they had used alcohol or drugs following they were concerned about themselves their participation in the programme at a of pupils said of pupils said or others. twelve month follow up. This is clearly shown knowledge about knowledge about in Fig.1. drugs increased. alcohol increased.

Sample sizes: 83% = 68129 pupils. 75% = 61385. pupils 72% = 59157 pupils. 75% = 61808 pupils. 73% = 59461 pupils. 82% = 67456 pupils. 36% = 2497 pupils. 4% = 257 pupils. 29% = 1618 pupils. 3% = 144 pupils (percentages are top to bottom and left of page to right of page).

9 10 Fig. 2: Eight-week delivery delay of the In the second condition, we did not deliver When pupils were asked, they attributed Resilience Programme the programme immediately, though we influence of the Programme as having an still measured pupils disclosed alcohol impact on their knowledge and decision and drug use, even though they hadn’t making. By following up after a year, we 72% yet participated in the programme. could see a relatively long-lasting impact. During this period, alcohol and drug use Schools have an instrumental role in had not significantly changed. Then we continuing to support pupils by of pupils improved or maintained an delivered the programme and measured mainstreaming conversations about above average score in mental 39% of pupils alcohol and drug use again, following healthy decision making, especially in the said they used alcohol and their participation in the programme at a wellbeing and self-efficacy (a belief in context of the risks that life presents. A twelve month follow up. What we found ability to achieve goals in life) 4% of pupils after participation was a reduction in the common theme of the schools who said they used drugs percentage of pupils who disclosed the engaged with the Resilience Programme before taking part in the programme use of alcohol or drugs. This can be seen was their commitment to delivering the in fig.2. PSHE curriculum. This undoubtedly 81% 8 weeks later and still helped to reinforce the messages that the This comparison showed us that when Programme provided around awareness before taking part in the of pupils improved or maintained above we deliver the programme, we do see a and the importance of seeking help. The programme: average scores in resilience. This meant reduction in the percentage of pupils emerging findings provided support for they felt equipped to better manage and who disclosed alcohol and drug use at encouraging universal deliveries to ‘all’ adapt to situations, events and feelings, the twelve months follow up point. The pupils in relation to alcohol and drug even when they were unexpected 38% 5% comparison also showed us that when awareness and education sessions. we did not deliver the programme, we said they said they did not see any significant change. This In addition to universal sessions, we also The completion rate for the programme used alcohol used drugs provided a targeted approach for pupils who was our first step in exploring the was 95%, which was expected because were at risk of being impacted by substance questions: the sessions were delivered within the use. Schools referred pupils into the targeted school day. The evaluation highlighted After taking part in the “Could we expect to see reductions in sessions and these young people received the outcomes shown above. programme: disclosed substance use, even if we don’t six Skills4Change sessions, that were deliver programmes like this in schools?” embedded into the Resilience Programme. In addition to these positive findings, the “What happens if we are not delivering Skills4Change focused on reducing young delivery teams encouraged schools to 12 months later programmes and then we start to people’s risk of misuse by enhancing develop onward referral pathways for deliver them, will the same groups of awareness about alcohol and drug use, young people who could benefit from pupils experience any change?” promoting informed life choices, emotional further support. The evaluation team 27% 2% wellbeing and resilience, in the context of were not able to assess the onward said they said they challenges that young people faced. trajectories of these young people, used alcohol used drugs however school continuity in developing The sessions also hoped to support young referral pathways was a recommendation people to engage with school and with their of the Programme. own learning. In total, 83% of the young people were referred to the Skills4Change as a result of potential risk of being impacted Sample sizes: 39% = 2120 pupils. 4% = 241 pupils. 38% = 1728. pupils 5% = 205 pupils. 27% = 940 pupils. 2% = 62 pupils (percentages are top to bottom and left of page to right of page). by someone else’s substance misuse; 17% of the young people were referred as a result 11 of their own disclosed substance misuse. 12 Case Study: Mark Mark was 13 and referred to the Resilience Mark engaged more in his lessons in It was great that someone with actual Programme, to participate school and seemed to be settling down experience of drugs and alcohol was able to talk in the Skills4Change sessions. He had to planning his time better. Mark was already taken part in an assembly and ambitious to do well in life. to us and tell us about the everyday situations a workshop and was interested in the that can go wrong and lead down a negative Skills4Change seemed to represent a additional sessions. Mark’s family situation pathway. I can learn from that message. It will was well known to the school. His mum had useful way to intervene early in terms of depression and experienced alcohol misuse Mark’s alcohol and drug education and make me think and make different healthier and Mark lived with his dad. awareness and to support him to decisions. It was so much better than when develop essential coping strategies and Although Mark was outgoing and friendly, approaches to managing potential risk, someone just stands in front of you and says he described “feeling low” most of the time. especially given his home life. This was “don’t take drugs or you’ll die”. That’s not useful He said he was constantly worried about important in helping him to keep pace his mum, his brothers and sisters. with the school learning curriculum. to anyone. Mark, his family and his school were all Mark attended all of the sessions and involved in the decision to refer Mark actively contributed. His peers valued him onto a local community service for Pupil participant as a member of the team. He seemed to further support outside of school. To benefit from the small group setting where date, he is doing really well with this. everyone was encouraged to see their own and each other’s strengths as well as trusting each other to talk a lot about feelings and approaches to manage tricky situations.

Mark grew in his knowledge and confidence to discuss alcohol, drugs and his own plans to keep himself safe and away from risk as much as possible. Mark developed coping strategies to manage his feelings and was able to practice these outside of the sessions, reporting on what worked and what needed adjusting to suit him better.

13 14 2.3 Parent and Carer Outcomes Case Study: Stef

The parent workshops aimed to increase Stef has a 14-year-old son who around healthy and problematic parents and carers’ knowledge of the attended the assembly and workshop risk-taking behaviour and decision- and she was interested in coming to a making skills. She said she was going to effects of alcohol and drugs. The parent session to see what sort of revisit her family’s open-door policy on workshops also aimed to help parents and 95% information was available. Stef social media and the impact at home carers to identify and to know how to contributed to the school PTA from social drinking too. Stef noted support their children if they thought they meetings. Although attendance to the that smoking cannabis and taking of parents and carers said that they found could be at risk of substance misuse. session wasn’t very high, everyone took ecstasy recreationally amongst the the parent workshop session useful. Parents and carers play a vital role in part in the conversations and had lots parent’s social group at university was educating young people about the dangers of questions for the Resilience normalised and seen as something associated with drug or alcohol misuse. Programme staff. Stef said that there everyone would grow out of. Stef gave However, they are not always included in were some concerns about drug dealing permission for the evaluation team to the development of resources available to 60% 90% in the community and the impact it share her perspectives. She was them. We were keen to advocate co- said their said their might have on various groups of school enthusiastic to note that tips on knowledge of knowledge of production that involved parents and friends when they socialised in the approaching conversations with alcohol increased drugs increased carers in the design and development of skate park, the local woods, shops and children and knowing how to identify resources. This is why we teamed up to the gym. Stef was surprised that the concerning behaviour. She said it was create a helpful handbook for parents and information she learned about was so helpful to have information about how carers so that information about alcohol, 88% focused on the context of young to access support and that this was drugs, support and treatment was easily people’s development, particularly clearly presented in the workshop. accessible. The parent outcomes are outlined in the diagram: of parents and carers said that their confidence to have informed conversations with their children about the risks associated with alcohol and drugs increased after taking part in the sessions. I thought I knew about drugs and certainly about alcohol until I took part in the workshop session. There is so much more to think about and I feel much more confident about having a talk with my children, something I have always avoided in case it was embarrassing for them, or me!

Parent

Sample sizes: 95% = 1070 parents. 60% = 676 parents. 90% = 1014 parents. 88% = 996 parents (percentages are top to bottom and left of page to right of page)..

15 16 2.4 Teacher Outcomes Case Study: David David was a science teacher and was professionals. For example, he felt Teachers engaged in training sessions disclosure policy, barriers to engagement, interested in attending the training better equipped after the session to where the Resilience Programme was being signposting, referral processes and multi- session because he taught aspects of respond to pupil disclosures and to delivered within schools. The training content agency working. Whilst teachers already diet, exercise and lifestyle choices in refer pupils on for support. He also said was closely aligned to complement the PSHE had experience and resources to deliver biology. David said there were gaps in he was confident to identify signs of curriculum. The training explored teachers’ the PSHE curriculum, the training enabled his knowledge, especially in the context potential risk and talk about substance existing knowledge about alcohol and drugs any gaps in knowledge or experience to be of alcohol, drugs and young people. use with his classes in the context of and provided practical information to identify addressed through co-production of David said that the session introduced the curriculum. and support young people who may have session content. Across 260 secondary practical wellbeing and safeguarding been at risk of substance misuse. Topics schools, more than 3700 teachers engaged approaches that were useful for all that were covered included (though were in training. The teacher outcomes are not limited to) hidden harm, safeguarding, outlined below:

Thank you so much for coming to our school. Training and sessions were really well attended. I have had positive feedback from staff and Teachers said their knowledge of alcohol (71%) importantly, from pupils, parents and carers too. and drugs (92%) increased following their engagement in Everyone has appreciated the opportunity to the training session. understand more about alcohol, drugs, risks and how to avoid them. The life shares are particularly interesting and engaging. It was really useful for our staff, parents, carers and pupils to know how 85% 82% 77% to prevent problems and how to refer pupils and get help if ever it’s needed. of teachers were more of teachers felt they could of teachers were more confident to discuss alcohol identify pupils who were confident to support and and drug issues with pupils. at-risk. refer pupils. Senior Leader Teacher

Sample sizes: 71% = 2656 teachers. 92% = 3469 teachers. 85% = 3200 teachers. 82% = 3087 teachers. 77% = 2899 teachers (percentages are top to bottom and left of page to right of page)..

17 18 2.5 Volunteer Outcomes

Our definition of 'Credible Peers': In our programme, credible peer volunteers were Case Study: Jenny people with lived experience of prior substance misuse who were successful in achieving long Jenny was impacted by parental attended external training sessions. term abstinence and recovery. When working in schools, volunteers had specialist knowledge substance misuse growing up and Jenny attributed the practice, supervision and presented balanced viewpoints without exaggeration. They could portray the importance experienced problematic alcohol and support she received as being a of being informed, aware, seeking support, making safer decisions and living in mentally use herself as a young person. In her significant influence on the development healthy ways. They were credible because these volunteers had realistic experience and could late twenties, Jenny went through a of her transferable, professional and demonstrate and communicate the positive changes they made in their lives. community detox programme and spent interpersonal skills. Whilst Jenny a further year in a residential rehab volunteered, she continued to engage in Working with credible peers who were in They received support and supervision treatment centre. Jenny was in stable her recovery and was able to consider recovery and were able to volunteer for the throughout their engagement with the recovery and completed the Resilience her options for future education and Amy Winehouse Foundation was central to programme. As valued team members, in Programme volunteer training course. training opportunities. After two years, the Resilience Programme. Volunteers were total, 236 volunteers completed their She put herself forward for shadowing Jenny got a job as a junior support simultaneously beneficiaries and training and worked with coordinators and as many delivery sessions as possible. worker, with training and an opportunity contributed extensively to the programme practitioners to deliver the interventions to Jenny became confident with deliveries formalise her qualifications. The Amy model by supporting the delivery of ‘life pupils in secondary schools. As said above, and the pupils in assemblies were Winehouse Foundation coordinator shares’ in school assemblies. Before volunteers had to be fully abstinent, in captivated with her life share. Jenny was was able to provide a formal reference engaging with deliveries, volunteers took stable recovery and undergo disclosure and encouraged by a consistently positive and Jenny continues to check in with parent in a recruitment process and an barring checks (DBS). The volunteer response from schools and was keen the service site. Jenny was recently accredited ten session training programme. outcomes are outlined below: to learn more about the rest of the recruited as a youth worker and programme approaches. Consequently, remains fully abstinent. Jenny increased her working skills and Volunteers reported significant benefits of the training and practice experience. They said this contributed to further training opportunities (82%), further and higher education (69%) and paid employment (84%)

The training was really rewarding and has been Volunteers useful on a personal level for the peer support and a noted improvements in: professional level too. It’s one of the best things I have done in life, to give something back, especially to young Planning skills (61%) people, hopefully to prevent substance misuse ever Interpersonal skills (69%) Presentation skills (66%) even occurring. I would never have got my dream job, working with ex-offenders on resettlement without the Communication skills (66%) Engagement in recovery, self-esteem Self-esteem (74%) and wellbeing also improved significantly help and support from the Programme. I’m happy in Day to day confidence (72%) amongst the majority of volunteers recovery and going from strength to strength.

Volunteer

19 20 3.0 Programme Recommendations

The evaluation findings and conversations with Addaction, the Amy Winehouse Foundation and all of the groups who participated with the Resilience Programme over the last five years led to us to consider what lessons we have learned and what recommendations might impact on the future Programme model and deliveries. These are outlined below:

Resilience Programme Schools

3.0 • A compelling evidence base lends support • Linkage with schools and the OFSTED Programme for the continuation of the programme, framework would support integration into the highlighting the intended outcomes for the Relationships and Sex Education aspects of the Recommendations majority of the beneficiary groups. national curriculum, especially with the 2020 changes to the RSE curriculum. • Further delivery of the programme requires a clear funding strategy to guide bids, • Closer alignment to school improvement plans, tenders, grant applications and school self evaluations and the Full Governing commissioning opportunities. Body could address gaps in provision as they relate to policies that cover substance use, • Co-production with beneficiaries safeguarding and referral processes. would support future training, session and workshop planning, to keep material • Schools might benefit from the Resilience focused on need and relevant to Programme more fully, especially around school context. parent take-up if links with parent forums, PTA groups and Parent Governors were stronger. • Pupils identified more closely with peers in recovery whose backgrounds were more • Future development could benefit from aligned to young person experiences. including individual schools in the development Continuing this matching process is highly of their safeguarding protocols and referral recommended. pathways.

• Peers in recovery could be supported to • After session continuity and safe spaces engage in a range of Resilience Programme to promote conversations would help reinforce roles, in addition to the focus on the positive messages about seeking appropriate delivery of ‘life shares’ during assemblies. support. The onward co-produced development of targeted interventions would provide a specific match to school needs.

22 Claire Hannah-Russell, Professor Helen Haste, Professor Richard Joiner, Dr Sean Radford, Megan Evison, Emma Howe, James Jamieson-Black and Melissa Ellis.

Contact Details For further information about the Resilience Programme, contact the Amy Winehouse Foundation: [email protected] or visit the website: https://www.amywinehousefoundation.org

For further information about Addaction, contact: 020 7251 5860 or visit: https://www.addaction.org.uk

For further information about the evaluation, contact Claire Hannah-Russell in the Department of Psychology at the University of Bath: [email protected] For further information about the mobile App and online technology, contact Dr Sean Radford: [email protected]