Family involvement has proven to be a protective factor in childhood and adolescence, acting as a preventive barrier against risky behaviours, such as substance abuse and addiction, among minors and youth. Family- and community-based intervention strategies for environmental prevention have been deemed effective; however, empirical data is scarce. The study aims to provide a conceptualised framework for the FERYA program (Networked and Active Families), a bottom-up environmental prevention program running in Spain since 2012 (known as EPOPS — Empowering Parents Organizations to Prevent...

BACKGROUND: Online learning has the potential to increase accessibility to high quality and cost-effective resources in prevention of risk behaviors. The aim of this pilot study was to assess the experience of university students with the comprehensive online course on prevention.

METHODS: In this pilot study, an online questionnaire was administered to 51 Czech and 31 Ukrainian university students who completed the online Introduction to Evidence-based Prevention (INEP) full semester course between February 2022 and February 2023. Students were asked about their experience with INEP...

INTRODUCTION:

In Spain, the offer of prevention programmes is very varied and structured, but today the challenge remains how to put evidence into practice. European Commission define a best practice as “a relevant policy or intervention implemented in a real-life setting which has been favourably assessed in terms of adequacy (ethics and evidence) and equity as well as effectiveness and efficiency related to process and outcomes”. The aim of the study was to describe the Spanish Project of Best Practice Portal in Drug Demand Reduction and Behavioural Addictions (the BBPPA portal).

METHODS:

INTRODUCTION:

Prevention science and quality standards of drug prevention in the EU and in the world have developed in recent decades. Progress has been made in quality development in Croatia, but the experience of the process of improving the field of drug prevention and the implementation of quality standards in Croatia has not been described in detail in the literature. This case study is an example of adaptation of the European QS and the emergence of other quality assurance components in the field of addiction prevention in the Republic of Croatia. The study describes the Croatian...

BACKGROUND:

Implementing quality measurement is still a challenge in the field of drug treatment and harm reduction. In this case study, we investigate which strategies can be used to enhance the implementation of a policy in which quality indicators are made public.

METHODS:

Building on an evidence-based methodology, this case study shows how an organisation in Flanders – the Flemish Institute for Quality of Care – develops quality indicators along with its strategies to implement the measurement of the indicators.

RESULTS:

The study shows three types of quality indicators in the field...

INTRODUCTION:

In the favourable political climate of the mid-2010s, the standards for Assessment & Selection of Prevention programmes Issued from the Review of EDPQS (ASPIRE) were developed to support project planning in drug prevention.

METHODS:

This case study is a narrative from the main coordinator responsible for drafting this quality assurance material.

RESULTS:

The framework that led to the creation of the ASPIRE standards is described. The production process is then explained and, thereby, the 12 ASPIRE standards resulting from it are presented. These quality standards and their...

BACKGROUND:

Coolmine’s implementation of quality standards involves a period of change management, strategic planning, and national policy development.

METHODS:

A narrative case study focusing on national policy and internal strategic planning.

CONCLUSIONS:

From 2000, Coolmine embarked on a change management journey that kept the organisation at the forefront of drug and alcohol treatment in Ireland and internationally while maintaining fidelity to the Therapeutic Community. The strategy for quality assurance is replicable across similar organisations.

INTRODUCTION:

The Cyprus National Addictions Authority (NAAC) is the main coordinating body for all matters related to licit and illicit substances as well as pathological gambling in Cyprus and it is responsible, inter alia, for the licensing, evaluation, funding (where possible), coordination, and reinforcement of all programmes, actions, and activities related to substances and gambling. Licensing and funding are based on the fulfilment of certain criteria and a certain level of quality.

METHODS:

The process that led to the establishment of a quality standards system for licensing and...