Canadian Standards for Youth Substance Abuse Prevention
The Canadian Standards for Youth Substance Abuse Prevention consists of a portfolio of first-ever national standards and guidelines aimed at strengthening the effectiveness of prevention efforts across Canada.
Developed by Canadian prevention experts under the leadership of CCSA, these national standards and guidelines provide program developers and delivery personnel with both a performance benchmark and a practical process to reference when planning, implementing, evaluating and monitoring substance abuse prevention activities.School-based Standards
CCSA has just released Building on Our Strengths: Canadian Standards for School-based Youth Substance Abuse Prevention, Version 2.0 — the first-ever national standards of excellence for substance abuse prevention initiatives in Canadian schools. Originally launched in May 2009, Version 2.0 includes an expanded evaluation and monitoring section along with further enhancements informed by national consultations with the field.
The School-based Standards are the most comprehensive resource available to support the efforts of school/board staff, as well as other public health or addictions prevention professionals working in and with school-based substance abuse prevention and health promotion teams.
Comprised of 17 Standards, seven guiding principles and a workbook, the School-based Standards provide a practical, evidence-informed framework for assessing, developing and implementing a comprehensive approach to prevention.
The extensive focus of these Standards—which includes the school’s social environment, a healthy school policy and attention to partnerships with key community members and services—makes them an effective tool for those planning to undertake prevention activities within the school context.
Click here to view and download the School-based Standards. To request a print copy of this document, please provide your name, position, title, organization, mailing address, telephone number and email address to standards-normes@ccsa.ca.
Community-based Standards
CCSA is set to release Stronger Together: Canadian Standards for Community-based Youth Substance Abuse Prevention, Version 1.0 in Summer 2010. These Standards will be a valuable resource for those working in community-based youth substance abuse prevention and health promotion, as they represent the first-ever national standards of excellence for substance abuse prevention initiatives in Canadian communities. The Community-based Standards will apply specifically to individuals who have an expertise and mandate to help community groups take action to prevent substance abuse among youth.
Family-based Guidelines
CCSA is also beginning national consultation on Canadian Guidelines for Family-based Youth Substance Abuse Prevention Skills Training: A Supplement to the Canadian Standards for School- and Community-based Youth Substance Abuse Prevention. This document is planned for release in Fall 2010.
Additional Resources:
To encourage the uptake and application of the School-based Standards, the following two databases were developed:
. A Database of Prevention Resources that provides sources of information―catalogued by the Standard(s) they reflect―that can be used to aid in the implementation of the Standards; and
. A Database of Canadian Prevention Initiatives for those looking for examples of programs that have been assessed against the Standards. Please note: Population of this database is in development.
To learn more about these initiatives please visit the associated links above.
The Canadian Standards Portfolio is a component of A Drug Prevention Strategy for Canada’s Youth —developed by the CCSA and a number of key partners— is a national drug prevention initiative that aims to reduce illicit drug use by Canadian youth aged 10-24.
Disclaimers and Acknowledgement
Development of Building on Our Strengths: Canadian Standards for Youth School-based Substance Abuse Prevention has been made possible through a financial contribution from Health Canada’s Drug Strategy Community Initiatives Fund. The views expressed herein do not necessarily represent the views of Health Canada.
