Substance use among young people 'looked after' by social services

Young people looked after by social services have been identified as being at increased risk of having, or developing substance misuse problems. Despite such claims, there is a distinct lack of research on the extent and nature of substance use among 'looked after' young people. This paper reviews the published literature on substance use among this population and presents the preliminary findings from a Home Office Drugs Prevention Initiative (DPI) evaluation of a drug prevention intervention among young people living in a residential care establishment. A comparison of these findings with other research data on substance use among young people suggests that 'looked after' young people's substance use is higher than that of the general youth population. Although the substance use was generally recreational and not considered by the young people themselves to be problematic, this level of use, at this life stage, could place them at increased risk of movement into more problematic drug use in ensuing years. The feasibility and implications of implementing drug interventions with this group are also discussed.