This is the presentation given by Helena Conibear from the Alcohol Education Trust at the ADEPIS seminar on Engaging parents in alcohol and drug education. This presentation stresses the importance of engaging parents in a conversation about alcohol.

1. Talking to kids about alcohol
Talking to kids about
drinking,giving them the
tools and liefeskills to
make responsible choices
and tactics to manage
difficult situations is what
this programme is about.
The Alcohol Education
Trust is a charity
dedicated to working
schools and parents
across the UK Facebook /talkaboutalcohol
Twitter #talkalcohol

2. Who are the Alcohol Education Trust?
• The Alcohol Education Trust has a very specific remit – the
provision of alcohol education in different ways, to pupils age 11
- 18 and their parents, and to provide evidence based evaluated
resources and lesson plans for teachers.
• The Alcohol Education Trust Trustees are all career teachers
and specialists in PSHE, and include a recently retired Head
Teacher, an SEN specialist, a Head of Department from a large
greater London secondary school and a teacher from one of the
largest rural secondary schools in the UK (2,400 children).

3. Key elements to the programme
Early intervention – Year 8 and 9 is ‘the tipping point’ when alcohol
education is key, before consumption begins with ‘top up’s thereafter.
Social norms based – why do you think most 11- 15 year olds don’t
drink?
We ensure teachers are secure in their knowledge, can address
misunderstanding and do not focus on extremes of behaviour.
Not too long or prescriptive – each session is stand alone and can
be expanded/reduced as required with familiarisation sessions offered.
A regional network of coordinators offering advice and training.
We ensure schools involve parents – they are key as role models,
setters of boundaries and the main suppliers of alcohol to U18’s.
Talkaboutalcohol sessions for parents are offered to schools.

4. Fully evaluated and evidence based
• The AET talkaboutalcohol programme has been evaluated among 4000
pupils in 34 schools across England over 2 years (2011 - 2013). Pupils
in schools which used 4 lessons in Year 8 and 2 top up lessons in Year 9
were significantly less likely to take up drinking than those in the
comparison schools. (20% of pupils took up drinking versus only 8% in
school using the AET resources).
https://www.nfer.ac.uk/publications/AETE01/AETE01.pdf
http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/14635240.2014.915759
• The Department for Education appointed CAYT has awarded our
programme 3 out 3 for effectiveness and 5/6 for quality of evaluation - top
marks! http://www.ifs.org.uk/publications/6904
• We are a PSHE Association Quality Assured programme and one of the top
50 most effective early intervention programmes according to The Early
Intervention Foundation. http://guidebook.eif.org.uk

5. Why are parents important to a schools
alcohol programme?
• Parents are the key source of supply to
underage drinkers (60 = 70% depending on
the research)
• A permissive parenting approach makes
drinking outside of the home more likely at a
younger age
• Children are most likely to follow a mothers
example around drinking
• Parental monitoring is key to preventing risk
taking

6. ‘They don’t listen to
us, it’s what their
friends are doing that
matters’
‘I’m far more worried
about the friends she’s
hanging out with and her
sleeping around’
‘It’s aspirational isn’t it? Our kids
see soaps featuring booze and
celebrities getting drunk and see it
as cool and normal’
‘It’s a right of
passage - part of
growing up - we
did it’
‘What can we do? We can’t
monitor what he’s doing
when he’s out with his
friends’
Common parental attitudes
Our children will encounter alcohol what ever we do
or say if we give them alcohol at least we know what
they’re drinking

7. Key messages to communicate to a
general parent population
• The example and role model they set
• Setting house rules and sticking to them
• Maintaining respect - both ways
• Keeping open dialogue and trust
• Knowing where they are, who they’re with and when they’re
coming home

8. At what age should they talk about
drinking?
Very young children
Children as young as 7 know
the difference between
drinking and being drunk
Age 11- 13
The average age of a first
whole alcoholic drink in the
UK is thirteen and a half,so
it’s important to get
talking

9. Why is 13 too young?
First whole drinks are usually in a family setting, The CMO tells
us parents should wait until at least age 15 why?
The more relaxed parents are about alcohol, the more likely the
child is to drink outside of the home. Age 14 is average
The same amount of alcohol has a much greater effect on the
body and organs of a child or young person than on an adult,
because their bodies are still growing and developing.
Long term impact on life chances for those who drink
regularly before the age of 15
•Truancy
•School results (a 20 point drop in GCSE predicted grades)
•Other substance use (increased risk of smoking and cannabis
use) and other risky behaviours
•Accidents, violence and sexual assault

10. Why the focus on 15?
Research shows that teenagers experiment with alcohol
and often with friends. 40% 15 year olds have been drunk
at least twice with 26% drinking weekly (HBSC 2012)
Parents see it as a realisable objective
Legal to drink with a meal when 16,17 with an adult in
pubs and restaurants

11. Practical ways of delaying teenage
drinking advice for parents
• Encourage sports, hobbies, clubs, social activities that keep
kids active and fulfilled. Kids cite boredom and hanging
around with nothing to do as one reason for drinking
• Make sure they know the facts and laws about alcohol and
can talk in a balanced and constructive way about the pros
and cons of drinking
• Talk and listen to their teenager.
• Talk through and agree ground rules and have
consequences for breaking them
• If teenagers are going to a party, drop them off and pick them
up, or book a taxi. Be wary of sleepovers
• Check where they are going and who they are with
• Be careful where alcohol is left in the house
• Supervise parties at home and always serve food.
• Understand the pressure they’re facing from their peers and
wanting to fit in.

12. Parent Types
Tough Love
Laissez Strict
Faire
Friends
"Tell me more?" Monitoring from age 11 rather than "Where
have you been?/ What have you been up to?"

13. Giving parents the confidence to get
talking
70% of children ages 8 to 17 say th eir parents are the No.1 influence
on whether they drink alcohol (GFK Roper report 2012)
BUT parents weren’t seen by most teenagers as good role models, or
set ground rules that they stuck to
Only 21% said their parents were good role models (YMCA study)
55% of young people say that their school provides clear rules but
only 27% say they have to abide by clear rules and consequences in
their family, or that their parents keep track of where they are.
Parents need to talk about drinking and its effects in a balanced way
early enough before children come across alcohol outside of the
home.
Age 13 is “tipping point” when kids look more towards their friends and
peers

14. Making parents aware that it’s not the norm
for teenagers to go out and get drunk
• Most teenagers do not go out to get drunk: In fact, 57% of British
11-15 year olds haven’t even tried alcohol.
• Underage drinking has halved in 10 years to 10% drinking weekly
- so 90% don’t drink regularly and 72% think it’s unacceptable to
drink weekly. However 40% of 15 year olds have experienced
being drunk at least twice.
• Among 16-24 year olds, 22% of men and 17% of women drink
more than twice the guidelines. 6% drink three times the
guidelines.
So an overwhelming majority (78% of young men and 83%
young women) go out to enjoy themselves and socialise and
not to get drunk.

15. Tough love approach means being
understanding if things go wrong
Don’t send them underground
Talking openly with kids is really
important.
Secret drinking with friends away
from home does happen.
Friends houses and public
places like parks are the most
common
‘If your child has been drinking, or got drunk, don’t be angry.
Sit down and talk it through, find out why it happened. Explain
to them what can happen to teenagers that get drunk. It can
often have been a scary experience. If they don’t show
remorse or regret work out your strategy’

16. Communicating to parents
What happens to teenagers who get drunk?
If a teenager drinks
regularly before they are
15 they are:
• 7 times more likely to
be in a car crash because
of drinking, and
• 11 times more likely to suffer unintentional injuries after drinking.
Teenagers who get drunk are far more likely to:
• Injure themselves or someone else – even accidentally
• Engage in unsafe sex, (risking STIs and unplanned pregnancies)
• Be robbed – especially of cash, ipods and mobile phones
• Achieve significantly lower GSCE grades
• Get into a fight, an argument or relationship problems
• Get into trouble with the police and end up with a criminal record

17. Problems with engaging parents in a school
environment
it is very difficult to attract those who need advice and
support most. It tends to be engaged parents who come
into school and attend events
Teachers are loathe to come into school out of hours for
evening events so talks are often cancelled or attendance
low
88% of adults drink in the UK, parents are worried they will
be criticised for their attitudes or pattern of drinking

18. Tips for engaging parents via schools
Partner with existing events in school such as transition or
meet the tutor evenings, GSCE option evenings, induction
or parent evenings
Partner with other providers especially esafety and legal
highs where parents have high levels of concern
Think of childcare, offer food and drink
Have an informal presence at school fairs or via PTA’s or
Governor events
Have a gentle informal approach with both schools and
parents and use staff who are parents themselves

19. Alternative parent approaches
Schools
Newsletter and database development
Use of parent mail and school internal VLE’s
Well promoted website with local links
Project or homework that involves parents
Pilot use of mobile technology in Halton LAAA
Outside of school
On line communities:Email, twitter, blog and facebook
Companies who are large parent employers (Pilot Sainsbury)
Other youth settings such as youth clubs, cadets, scouts and
sports clubs

21. • Sign up to our parents newsletter! Visit
www.alcoholeducationtrust.org or email
sandra@alcoholeducationtrust.org
• Visit our websites for tips, film
clips, quizzes and lots of advice
via
www.alcoholeducationtrust.org
• Find us on facebook and
recommend us to other parents
and friends!
Facebook /talkaboutalcohol
Twitter #talkalcohol