Understanding Young People: Substance Misuse, Risk and the Contexts That Shape Behaviour

Young people in Croydon move through environments that directly shape their safety, choices and behaviour. Streets, estates, schools, transport routes, social media and peer groups all carry influence, and the patterns emerging locally require responses grounded in real data and real Croydon evidence. This training focuses on contextual safeguarding and substance misuse using the insights, risks and hotspot information identified across the borough.

The programme is designed for the full multi-agency workforce, including schools, PRUs, youth justice, social care, early help, community organisations and outreach teams. The approach is seminar-based, discussion-led, practice-oriented and scenario-driven. Participants bring their own practice knowledge, and we build Croydon-specific solutions together by examining local trends, local pressures, signposting and the lived realities of the young people we serve.

The training explores how hidden factors affect presentation, how early substance use shows up in behaviour, and how community contexts increase vulnerability. It strengthens practitioners’ confidence to work safely in live environments such as streets, hotspots and public spaces. It also supports the use of professional curiosity, cultural health, and early-intervention methods rooted in the borough’s real patterns of harm.

Session 2 – Inquiry, Resilience and Cultural Curiosity/Safety and Trust-Building

 THIS SESSION IS VIRTUAL 

This session will cover:

• Fostering inquiry and resilience in a way that resonates with each young person
• Cultural Curiosity Tool for exploring identity, culture, masculinity and racialised risk
• How to talk to a young person about substances without shame or escalation
• How to open inquiry when they minimise use (“It’s only vaping”, “Everyone’s doing it”)
• Working more confidently with Black boys and others who experience adultification
• Building conversations that remain meaningful, respectful and youth-led