Substance misuse

Darlington STRIDE (Support, Treatment and Recovery in Darlington through Empowerment) is an all age substance misuse service. It includes the dedicated young person’s service for those under the age of 18. The young person’s service plays a vital role in supporting children and young people to reduce substance related harm and improve their overall health and wellbeing. 

The service provides young people with structured one to one support, harm reduction education, motivational interventions and relapse prevention work, provided by a team of experienced staff including people with lived experience. They will also work with the wider family if needed, as parents and carers play an important role in supporting young people to achieve a successful outcome.

Outreach with schools and colleges in Darlington is also part of the offer, delivering interventions and education sessions to pupils and teachers. They work on raising awareness of substance misuse related harms, understanding risks and how to access the service if needed.  

There is also a focus on multi-agency working, with strong links established with  the youth justice service, voluntary sector and early help teams. This includes regular drop-in sessions and hot desking to ensure the service maintains a visible presence in the community and support joined up care for young people. 

Efforts continue to increase the numbers of young people with drug or alcohol addictions accessing the service for treatment. This is through clear referral pathways including self-referral, strengthening partnerships with external agencies and ensuring young people have a positive experience when using the service. Awareness training is also available for other professionals. Further information about the service is available at drug and alcohol support for young people and families in Darlington [external link]

Watch the video below to see our Director of Public Health talking to our children about addiction