Main Story/Introduction as follows:

Dear Reader,

welcome to our first edition of the 2008 News Letter. This year we aim to publish a newsletter on a monthly basis but to do so we really need your input. We need as many stories, reports and thoughts as possible from friends, colleagues, users, deliverers and advisors of DARE to share with us their good news, practise and experiences! So forward all your news/info to our head office at the below email address so we can arrange to get it “hot off the press” for our next issue

  International Issues:

Trustee - Richard Goad and Chief Executive Officer – David Gilbert visited the USA at the end of 2007. The purpose of this visit was to rekindle the working relationship with DARE USA; update them on the many developments that have taken place in the UK, driven by policy, strategy, government and guidance updates; and seek their support in developments planned for the UK. The meeting was a great success. An improvement in communication/dialogue has been achieved including a huge respect shown for the cultural differences between the UK and the US and a strong willingness for both organisations to work together.

DARE USA has offered support in many areas including inviting Mel, our Training and Development Officer to a DOT course during 2008 to ensure she is fully conversant with the USA DARE Officer Training Course. The UK and USA will also be working together to develop and test alternative ways to deliver the DARE programme in the UK but of course without comprising the fidelity of the programme. We will be working closely together in the future particularly as and when developments are nearing completion.

 

 Falkland Islands:

At the end of February 2008 a team from DARE UK will fly to the Falklands Islands to train UK Police Officers there so they can start delivering the DARE programme. That said, DARE will be a part of the work of the team; it will extend to giving advice and support on other youth interventions. To beef up the team, Anne Trout from Nottinghamshire County Council’s PDL team has agreed to attend with the full backing of the County Council. We will keep you updated on our travels and work in the Falklands via the newsletter when our team has returned to the UK.

 

Trustee Profile:

Over the coming months each addition of the newsletter will feature an article based on one of our Trustees in order that our readers can get to know and understand more about who is steering the charity and what skills and unique abilities they have to add value to what DARE is trying to achieve. This month we start with our Chairman - Phil Edwards.

Philip Edwards

Philip Edwards has spent most of his career in retail. Philip held a number of positions with Dixons Group including those of Regional Manager, Divisional Director, Director of local Distribution centres, Community Affairs Director. He retired from Dixons in 1999.

In May 1997, Philip completed a four-year secondment as Business Advisor to the Crime Prevention Agency of the Home Office, which was funded by Dixons. During that time he worked closely with the Head of the Agency at Queen Anne's Gate, Director of the Crime Prevention College at Easingwold and the Minister of State for the Home Office. During this secondment, Philip co-authored the Home Office book, 'CCTV - Looking out for you' spoke at, or chaired some 120 conferences, and had hundreds of articles published in the press, and appeared on television and radio.

Latest News from David our CEO at 10!!!

I have now been in the post of CEO since June 2007 and what a rollercoaster of a ride its been. I arrived with DARE at the time when the charity was changing rapidly in response to one of its major contributors, Nottinghamshire Police, withdrawing funding to pay for the staff that delivered the DARE programme in primary schools throughout Nottinghamshire. Huge progress has been made in that time and its safe to say that since September 2007 DARE continued to be delivered in Nottinghamshire schools almost as normal. In fact a slight increase in the number of schools receiving DARE is one of the outcomes. The withdrawal of Nottinghamshire police allowed the DARE UK to test new styles in the delivery of the programme, including a ‘part teacher/part officer’ delivery and in a small number of schools ‘teacher only’ delivery whereby the teaching staff were trained and supported by DARE. We will be watching closely all delivery styles to ensure that the programme maintains its high standards and its effectiveness and will keep you all posted as to our findings – watch this space!!

I have been to a number of areas in and around the country and also across the water to try and understand the base position of DARE, in order that I can help to steer the organisation on a steady course onwards and upwards. I’ve made contact with both practitioners and senior managers in Devonport in Plymouth, and The City of London and have learnt much about the successes they are having. I have also spoken to senior military staff of the Royal Military Police when Mel was delivering training over in a town near Dusseldorf. They are wholly committed to DARE.

It is clear that there is much work taking place but all of this needs to be pieced together and hence that is why we will be focussing on the development of a three year strategy. This is currently in its draft, format but has been broadly approved by the Trustees and will form the basis of the DARE teams direction and working plan for the coming three years.

The Years Ahead:

It is important now that we develop and implement the strategy and to that end DARE Sport is being tested in different parts of the country driven by Bryan Steel our Olympic Silver Medallist. We hope to put all the necessary refinements in place in order that we can launch the product on a formal basis sometime during the summer of 2008, thus making the Sport product available to any user wishing to take part in that particular initiative in their area.

Two priorities for the forthcoming year will be to improve our communication, which includes issues such as the website (take a look and see what you think, it has improved significantly) and our marketing to ensure that those people with an awareness of DARE are also aware of the changes and huge strides it has made over the last few years. It’s also important that we look towards credible and affordable evaluation and steps are being taken to move this forward to ensure that when the question comes along "Does DARE Work?” as it seems to so often, our response is robust, positive and allows us to focus on what we do best, focus on young people!

MEL’S INPUT
Training and Development.

Nottinghamshire:

The past few months have seen a number of successful changes within the area of training and development at DARE UK.

Over 100 teachers have received drug education training that was delivered in partnership with Anne Trout from the County LA and a number of teachers from some of the City schools, received the training, delivered in partnership with Anna Power from the City LA. There is ongoing support for any teachers who request it and there is more training planned later this year for the county schools.

Despite financial challenges, Nottinghamshire Police has, as promised, remained supportive of DARE UK and have helped to organise Diversity and Equality training for the Nottinghamshire DARE Officers as well as training about current drug trends. It is anticipated that the latter will be offered to teachers later in the year, as part of the drug education offered by DARE UK.

Plymouth:

Six Police Community Support Officers have been recently trained in Plymouth. The DARE programme has now been delivered in some of the Plymouth schools for several years but due to Police Officers finding their roles are changing, and PCSOs having increasing links with the community. It was decided to test the use of PCSO’s for the delivery of DARE. This method of delivery is currently being piloted and is being monitored by the Training Manager.

Service Schools:

In April, SSgt Badley has requested for approximately 10 more officers from the British Forces to deliver DARE. It is an annual event, now entering its 4" year, and so far has secured the successful training of more than 30 officers to date, from Cyprus, Belgium, Gibraltar and Germany.

Development of Programmes

Primary Programme:

We are always striving to keep our programmes up to date and in line with local and national strategies as well as with current issues affecting young people. Teachers, parents and young people continuously evaluate the primary programme. It is being developed to include more practical activities and to include more work about some of the issues that young people have expressed a need for.

Secondary programme:

There is clearly a need to develop a secondary programme that is developed through consultation with teachers, children, parents and carers and our partners. This is now a key priority in our 3 year development strategy.

On Track Resources:

We have been working in partnership with the On Track board and have been involved with the development of the Key Stage 1 life skills resource, On Track, aimed at 6-7 year olds. Following on from this there will be a Key Stage 2 resource, Keeping On Track, aimed at 7-9 year olds. There will also be story books developed that cover key safety issues. All of these resources will be completed by the end of this year and there will be a launch of the On Track products to follow. We will also be promoting the use of our trade as an effective lead to our DARE primary programme because of the quality of the products and our involvement in developments.