Secondary target group:
Professionals who work with children in the age range 10 to 14 years.

Objectives:

• To provide parents of children aged 10 to 14 years with information about solvent misuse.
• To provide parents of children aged 10 to 14 years with information on how to talk to their children about solvent misuse.
• To encourage parents to talk to their children about solvent misuse.
• To deter young people from misusing solvents.

Background:
Volatile substance abuse (VSA) is the deliberate inhalation of any kind of volatile substance in order to become intoxicated. Volatile substances contain volatile hydrocarbons and give off fumes at room temperature. These fumes are inhaled, producing a short-lived, intoxicating effect. There are various other names for it including glue sniffing and solvent abuse.

VSA is a hidden problem of which many adults are unaware - even though as many as one fifth of teenagers in Northern Ireland report that they have misused a volatile substance at some time. However most use is experimental and very few people become regular users. The substances are not physically addictive and it is rare for people to become dependent upon them.

The findings of research commissioned by the HPA in February 2001 indicated parents were more concerned about drug misuse than VSA. Parents generally felt their own children would not be foolish enough to experiment with volatile substances and they differentiated between the perceived characteristics of sniffers and those of their own children.

Parents acknowledged the difficulties that they experienced in talking about drugs, alcohol and volatile substances with their children - very few parents had discussed VSA specifically. They also, however, acknowledged their role in addressing these issues with their children and would welcome information and advice to help them do this.

A recommendation made following this research was that parents should be encouraged to talk to their children about VSA and given help to allow them to do this, hence the campaign.

A range of professionals including environmental health officers, representatives from the youth service, police, probation board, health and social services as well as voluntary organisations and retailers were interviewed to identify what work they were doing in relation to VSA and identify their information needs.

Volatile substance abuse. A professional's guide was published and distributed following this research.

The campaign:
The campaign ran from 4 February until 4 March 2003 and included television advertising and the distribution of a short guide for parents. Schools were supplied with copies of the guide Talking about solvents. A guide for parents and asked to send them home to parents of young people in years 6, 7, 8, 9 and 10.

Click here to view the television advert

Media:
A press release was issued to local media contacts and an interview facility held on 4 February. Local media coverage was extensive.

Press release - Talk to your child before someone else does.