How to Drug Proof Your Kids (DPYK)

Since 2003, when Care for the Family launched DPYK at the Scottish Parliament and the House of Lords, thousands of parents and other carers have attended a DPYK course run in their local community by one of the many people trained across the UK by Care for the Family.

DPYK equips and empowers parents to engage with their children on the topic of drugs and alcohol. The programme is about prevention. When parents feel more confident, skilled and better equipped, they can help their children make healthy lifestyle choices in this area.

Even though often they don’t believe it, parents are the greatest influencers of their children. And even though they sometimes don't show it, children will look, listen and learn!

The positive feedback received from parents shows that the programme works. One parent said: “I feel more confident about recognising a problem before it happens and more aware of developing a sense of worth and confidence in my children.”

Training local people to deliver DPYK extends its reach. And local people have respect in their own communities, so it’s better for them to be facilitators than for some ‘expert’ to fly in and fly out again.

There are over 300 active facilitators at any one time, and still more people are needed to take this programme into the community.

The programme has become most firmly established in Scotland; the awareness of need is greater there, and they seem more attuned to prevention.

The aim of DPYK for the future is to continue to build, and provide support to facilitators, through the website, newsletter and helplines.

Find out more about How to Drug Proof Your Kids® (DPYK) at www.dpyk.org.uk

Last Updated 10 October 2008