‘Why don’t we just build it in a square hole?’
Developing a multi-component drug outreach service for young people aged 16–25 in England
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 21605137 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Zoë Welch (0000-0002-4358-4048, Change Grow Live), Karen Duke (0000-0002-2567-4218, Drug and Alcohol Research Centre, Middlesex University, corresponding author), Katy Hughes (0009-0005-9881-8314, Change Grow Live), Arun Sondhi (0000-0002-4748-5522, Therapeutic Solutions (Addictions) Ltd), Sam Wright (0000-0003-2045-8433, Change Grow Live) |
| Year | 2026 |
| Volume | 33 |
| Issue | 1 |
| Pages | 18-31 |
| Publication date | 2026-01-02 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Drugs Education Prevention and Policy (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0968-7637 • E-ISSN: 1465-3370 |
| Publisher | Informa UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1080/09687637.2025.2470147 |
| OpenAlex | W4408191802 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 41 |
Background In England, the rise in young people/adults’ drug use coincides with a decline in specialist outreach and support services. Current substance use provision particularly neglects young adults. This paper traces the origins of the multi-component ‘1625 Outreach’ model and how it was developed and refined by utilizing community engagement and co-production approaches.Methods The co-produced, qualitative research design included observations of outreach practitioners in different settings, focus groups with professionals and young people/adults, and semi-structured interviews with key informants.Results The multi-component model was found to be agile, innovative and responsive to local drug trends. This was facilitated by community partnerships and inter-agency collaboration and the involvement of young people in service development and delivery. Co-designed prevention messages on social media were effective in reaching a wide audience. It was important that the educator was viewed as relatable, trustworthy and knowledgeable, with honest harm reduction messages. Participants preferred strengths-based harm reduction discussions, allowing for exploration of the complexities of drug use.Conclusion The study highlights the importance of developing credible, strengths-based harm reduction messages co-designed by young people. A coherent multi-component delivery approach with stakeholder engagement can facilitate agile responses to the changing needs of local young people/adults
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| Highly cited | No |
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