Silkworth Lodge Charity Group hopes to launch a three-pronged support scheme for young people including a residential programme, outpatient drop-in sessions and education scheme to tackle problem drink and drug use in Jersey.
The charity is currently in negotiations with Brightly, formerly the Brig-y-Don Children’s Charity, to take over their facility in St Clement which would house a residential care facility – complete with gym – for 16- to 25-year-olds.
Silkworth Lodge currently offers an abstinence-based 12-week alcohol and drug rehab programme for over-18s from its facility in Vauxhall Street. Chief executive Jason Wyse said that when the new programme gets off the ground the charity would, for the first time, be able to offer residential support to teenagers as young as 16 and would move all young people needing care to the new facility.
Rates of alcohol-specific hospital admissions for under 18s were significantly higher in Jersey than in England, for both girls and boys.
Mr Wyse said: ‘There are currently no services within the Channel Islands or in the UK that provide such vital services for young people to this degree. These are the services that we are looking to introduce, which are cutting edge and years ahead of our UK counterparts.
‘There is a huge need in Jersey for specific support for young people up to the age of 25 who are feeling the effect of drug and or alcohol addiction, either directly or though someone close to them.’
Statistics from the Alcohol Profile show that almost one in five 14- and 15-year-olds who responded reported drinking ‘regularly or occasionally’. Less than half (49%) of that age group reported never being really drunk while at ages 16 and 17 that dropped to less than a quarter (23%).
The most popular alcoholic drink for 14- to 17-year-olds was spirits. However, the report did show that from 2006 to 2018 the number of young people aged between 12 and 15 reporting to have never drunk alcohol had risen from 11% to 30%.
My Wyse said: ‘Statistics-wise, there is limited evidence but we can only go by as what we are seeing as organisation and that is people contacting us for support and advice. We have seen an increase in calls from families and parents concerned about teenagers. This programme is a response to that.’
He added that although full addiction may be a less common problem for people aged between 16 and 18 it was about offering help to young people with ‘bad relationships’ with alcohol or drugs to prevent problems snowballing.
‘Alcohol issues among young people are mainly born from social acceptability around alcohol – it’s a big part of life and we cannot get away from it.’
The proposed new gender-specific residential programme would be shorter than the 12-week programme currently on offer at the Lodge. There are also plans for schooling to be available so young people do not miss out on education.
The residential programme would be supplemented by an ‘outpatient, drop-in programme’ as well as an educational arm for all children regardless of whether they have issues with alcohol or drugs or not.
Asked when the programme could be launched, Mr Wyse said: ‘ASAP but realistically as soon as we confirm a property we can get going straight away.
‘We are in negotiations with a charity called Brightly – formerly known as Brig-Y-Don Children’s Home – who currently have a vacant property that the charity used to run as a children’s home and nursery. The property is well located and has the potential to provide a cutting-edge young persons’ facility in Jersey.’
The charity already runs a family programme for adults who have a loved one tackling addiction and Silkworms – an initiative to support young children who may have a parent or loved one battling issues with drugs or alcohol. A total of 21 children – some as young as seven – have passed through the Silkworm scheme since it launched last year.
The States-run Drug and Alcohol Service employs a young person substance misuse worker who works with young people under the age of 25.
