Council Resolution of 27 November 2003 on the importants of the role of the families in preventing drug abuse by adolescents
Date: 2003-11-27
Institutions: Council of the European Union
Subjects: drug addiction, family, young person

C 97/4

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

22.4.2004

COUNCIL RESOLUTION

of 27 November 2003

on the importants of the role of the families in preventing drug abuse by adolescents

(2004/C 97/02)

THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION,

Whereas:

strategies and measures

opment of
relating to the
principal health determinants linked to the adoption of
healthy lifestyles.

(1) The European Council, meeting in Helsinki on 10 and 11
December 1999, endorsed the European Union Drugs
Strategy 2000-2004 which covers all EU drug-related
its main targets, among which is a
activities and set
substantial reduction over five years of the incidence of
damage caused to health by drug abuse and of
the
number of drug-related deaths.

(2) In June 2000 the Feira European Council adopted the EU
Action Plan on Drugs
crucial
instrument for transposing the EU Drugs Strategy into a
hundred or so concrete actions which provide an effective
integrated and multidisciplinary response to the drug
problem.

(2000-2004)

as

a

(7) Research shows

that

the morbidity

and mortality
connected with drug dependence affect a considerable
number of European citizens;
the damage to health
caused by drug addiction is a major problem for public
health and has serious social repercussions.

(8) The European Union can add value to the efforts of
member States in prevention and reduction of
risks
associated with drug dependence by facilitating the
sharing of knowledge on what works.

(9) The results of the mid-term evaluation of the EU Action
Plan on Drugs (2000-2004) highlighted the following key
issues at national level:

(3) The aforementioned Strategy is in line with the content of
the Political Declaration adopted by the United Nations
General Assembly Special Session (UNGASS) on Drugs in
June 1998.

— coordination of drug policy

across government
services is recognised as important by all Member
States, and consequently across community based
action, social services programmes, school prevention
activities and families,

(4) In its communication to the European Parliament and the
Council on the EU Action Plan on Drugs, the Commission
strategy,
considered a global approach as
covering all sectors of
the prevention of drug abuse,
discouraging initial use and reducing the negative health
and social consequences.

the best

(5) The programme of Community action on the prevention
of drug dependence within the framework of Community
action in the field of public health, has supported projects
aimed at preventing and reducing the risks associated
with drug dependence by encouraging, among other
things, cooperation between Member States, supporting
their
their action and promoting the coordination of
has
programme
policies
contributed towards improving information, education
and training aimed at preventing drug dependence and
the associated risks, in particular for young people and
particularly vulnerable groups.

programmes.

The

and

(6) The Decision of

the
Council adopting a programme of Community action in
the field of public health (2003-2008) includes the devel-

the European Parliament and of

— a variety of coordination approaches have been
adopted, depending on a variety of
issues such as
the relative priority given to the drug problem in
particular member States, the country structure and
administrative organisation,

— most Member States have adopted a national plan

and/or strategy on drugs,

— many national action plans have been developed in

line with the principles of the EU Action Plan.

(10) The results of the mid-term evaluation of the EU Action
Plan on Drugs (2000-2004) made it clear that further
progress is needed at EU level, including the development
of a strategy for strengthening cooperation with civil
society in the field of drugs.

(11) Families have an important

role to play in giving
adolescents detailed information and in educating them
in a healthy lifestyle.

22.4.2004

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 97/5

(12) TAKING INTO ACCOUNT the role of

families in deter-
mining the risk and preventive factors which could
sense of
influence
abuse,
early drug
belonging to a family, parents'
in their
lives and the degree of affection given in
offsprings'
early infancy.

involvement

including

a

(13) BEARING IN MIN that EMCDDA has devised a special
survey to gather data on prevention, based on the
involvement of
the families and the community and
early intervention, acknowledging the urgent need to
assess programmes in this field and compare experience.

(14) CONSIDERING that there is growing scientific evidence of
the need to involve families in prevention programmes
through training designed to improve family relationships,
behaviour and organisation.

(15) CONCERNED that a lack of reliable information on drugs,
and confusion as to the true toxicity of psychotropic
substances used recreationally could lead parents
to
underestimate the risks entailed for adolescents who
experiment with drugs at an early age,

UNDERLINES THE IMPORTANCE OF:

1. bearing

in mind the

importance of

‘risk-assessment’
measures that identify families at risk, early distress signals
and early intervention strategies involving parents, including
in targeted prevention
those with pre-school children,
programmes with the aim of reducing risk behaviour and
later drug use;

2. encouraging local

institutions and schools

to promote
prevention programmes based on the involvement of
families, and in particular families at risk,
in order to
enhance safeguards during childhood and early adolescence,
involvement by parents in their children's lives, adequate
family conduct and positive
monitoring, clear
parenting models;

rules of

4. promoting different information strategies to help parents
to identify early risk behaviours and early drug use in
adolescents;

5. promoting and encouraging parents' participation in school
stable contacts between
activities and the creation of
families and social
through common
support agencies
training programmes, with the aim of bringing synergetic
educational interventions to bear on risk behaviour;

6. analysing and carrying out

further research on current
strategies and programmes, as well as on the development
of new comprehensive programmes and strategies
for
in
contacting and involving families, actions in support
particular of families at risk, in which parents or siblings
are drug users or have psychological and behavioural
problems;

7. promoting the development of innovative strategies to:

— involve parents in their children's schooling, sports,
games and recreational activities, by promoting oppor-
tunities for socialising with a strong educational content
and involving cooperation between associations,
insti-
tutions and the private social sector,

— contact families at risk or the parents of minors at risk
of becoming addicted to drugs, through home visits,
self-help methods and other preventive, educative and
therapeutic approaches,

— support families which are socially and economically
inte-

to enhance their level of social

disadvantaged,
gration;

8. for this purpose, drawing up an inventory of the most
effective methods and instruments for promoting the role
families in drug use prevention for adolescents, and
of
the
encouraging,
exchange between Member States on best practice in this
field;

in close collaboration with EMCDDA,

3. paying particular attention to the family environment,
strengthening parental training programmes, since the lack
of family support and poor parenting skills can promote the
development of drug habits;

9. ensuring that information, counselling and training offered
to parents are tailored to their needs, cultural background
and ethnic origin, and that they use appropriate communi-
cation strategies.