WORK has been ongoing to implement an alcohol and drug use prevention programme for young people in the Wee County.

All Clacks secondary schools are implementing the Icelandic Prevention Model (IPM), which has demonstrated effectiveness in reducing substance use over the past 20 years in the Nordic island country.

One of the goals is to create conditions that allow young people to lead fulfilling lives, feeling supported by their family, school and community so that they are empowered to make positive and informed decisions.

Details for the Wee County implementation of IPM, based on a collaborative and early intervention model, will go in front of Clackmannanshire Council's People Committee on Thursday, September 16.

The model is designed to "influence risk and protective factors related to substance use within community, school, and peer and family contexts", council documents read.

"It explores how to engage young people within the approach build on community capacity and assets and utilise the skills and expertise of local organisations to collectively influence wider policy implementation and improve outcomes.

"By engaging with young people, whole communities, statutory and third sector partners, the IPM aims to reduce substance use and promote greater mental health and development."

The Icelandic model has been a success in its country of origin, which had some of the highest rates of adolescent substance use in Europe during the 1990s.

By 2015, Iceland had some of the lowest rates with the success attributed to the model, which stands on three pillars.

It uses a local evidence base obtained via surveys of pupils and a community-based approach to the data with appropriate interventions.

Also essential to the approach is to keep the dialogue going across research, policy and practice in substance use prevention.

According to the delivery plan, surveys are being issued to S2 and S3 year groups at Alloa, Alva and Lornshill academies this month and the data will be processed, confidentially, at the University of Reykjavik in November.

Project delivery is to begin early 2022 as a Clacks partnership which will include representatives from education, health, social work, community, sports and arts.

Papers also highlight conclusions from the Scottish Adolescent and Substance Use Survey (2017) (SALSUS), which revealed that while alcohol intake has decreased in the past decade in Clacks young people, in line with Scottish trends, the proportion of 13-15 year olds reporting wider substance misuse in the Wee County was higher than the national average.

Council papers added: "The model recognises that the social conditions that promote substance use among young people emerge from multiple, complex sources over time.

"Therefore, solutions designed to counteract, mitigate, or eliminate these social conditions are built on community capacity and long-term commitments from all stakeholders."

Planet Youth and the Winning Scotland Foundation, which approached the council about the programme in 2018, are supporting the model.