Gwent N-gage is a young person’s drug and alcohol service that provides free, confidential support and information to any young person under 18.
This extends to any 18–21-year-old requiring support with a transition to adult drug/alcohol services. The service also offers drug and alcohol consultancy support and training to any professional working with young people within Gwent.
Gwent N-gage works alongside Gwent Drug and Alcohol Family Service (GDAFS) to ensure that any family member or friend affected by another person’s (loved ones) use can also receive the support they need. This support is available for young people and adults of any age. (link to GDAFS website)
Caseworker support
This strand of the service provides a needs led assessment and individualised support plan for young people under 18 in relation to drug/alcohol use. Any young person referred to the service for 1:1 support will be offered a drug/alcohol case worker. Support includes:
- Substance use education/awareness
- Brief interventions and structured treatment such as motivational interviewing, CBT skills and care planning to support young people to achieve their goals.
In addition, Gwent N-gage has 1:1 drug and alcohol workers based within Newport, Monmouthshire and Torfaen Youth Offending/Justice Service and works closely with Caerphilly and Blaeanu Gwent Youth Offending Service.
CAMHS Drug & Alcohol Team
Young Persons Substance Use Team
The CAMHS DAT service provides complex interventions for children and young people with substance use problems at a tier 3-4 level; this is where substance use problems are having significant impairment on physical, psychological and/ or social functioning, or where there may be a need for highly specialist interventions including prescribing and detoxification.
Young people aged under 18 years accessing the service have drug and/ or alcohol use disorders as classified under the International Classification of Diseases version 10 (ICD-10), and have additional complexity which cannot be met within a Tier 2 Service such as; pregnancy, mental health concerns (diagnosed and undiagnosed), physical health concerns, drug dependency requiring medical prescribing, alcohol dependency requiring detoxification, those requiring assessment for referral to Tier 4 services, or social issues and risk-taking behaviour.
Activities and well-being team
This strand of the service offers a range of activities and works closely with N-gage caseworkers, transitions and CAMHS DAT team to provide aftercare and recovery support for young people. The focus is on supporting wellbeing and engagement in diversionary activities such as the gym, music, walking, yoga, arts and crafts.
By introducing activities to young people, this supports and promotes the positive impact on overall health, wellbeing and substance use.
Transitions service
This strand of the service offers 1:1 flexible drug and alcohol support to young people up to the age of 21. They also provide a seamless transition to adult substance use services.
Engagement team
The Engagement Team are the front face of the Service. They work in a variety of settings, including schools, alternative education providers, training providers, youth clubs and community venues, providing information about drugs and alcohol.
They deliver workshops on a range of topics related to raising awareness of substances, drop-ins at schools and colleges and information on how to access Gwent N-gage and GDAFS at networking and community events across all of Gwent.
Training
Gwent N-gage provide a free training programme to all professionals working in Gwent. This training is delivered both online and face to face. If you would like more information, or to book a place, please click the link below and you will be taken to our training e-book.
Click here to find out more and connect Training
Gwent Drug and Alcohol Family Service
GDAFS work with anyone within the Gwent area who may be affected by someone else’s substance use. There are three strands of the service. Concerned Others who are under 18, Concerned others who are over 18 and parents or carers of under 18’s who are using drugs and/or alcohol.
We offer support with sessions that may include:
- Substance awareness and harm reduction
- Activities, self-care and wellbein
- Mediation
- Peer support groups
Click here for more info, or to make a referal.
Youth Ambassador Service
The Gwent N-gage Youth Ambassador Service (YAS) is a group of young people that are currently/or previously engaged in support with N-gage. Their main role is to ensure the inclusion of young person voice in all aspects of service design and delivery. The group meet monthly to engage in a range of service design-based activities. The individuals within the group also engage in their own individual projects within the service related to their skills and interests.
Benefits of the YAS service include:
