Alcohol and other drug information for parents
Parents can play an important role in building young people’s resilience by supporting important drug education messages that are delivered through our early childhood and school programs. SDERA offers a number of different support options for parents of students in all year levels, including:
Early Years
When children are very little, under the age of five, parents may want to talk with their children about passive smoking (tobacco), safe use of over-the-counter and prescribed medications such as asthma inhalers and panadol, poisonous and hazardous substances, and what to do if they happen to find a needle syringe.
Early years drug education fact sheets
primary YEARS
As children grow, they start to process information in a different way which is why all education and conversations at home should be appropriate for the age of the child. In the primary years parents can talk with their children about passive smoking (tobacco), safe use of over-the-counter and prescribed medications, what to do if they find a needle syringe, caffeine (energy drinks), alcohol and alternatives to analgesics such as relaxation and coping strategies. This is also a time when parents might like to review their own knowledge, attitudes and behaviour towards alcohol and other drugs.
Primary drug education fact sheets
| Year Six |
| Helping your child be a non-smoker |
| Helping your child stay safe around alcohol |
| Rules about alcohol |
secondary YEARS
As children become teenagers communication becomes all the more important. Many parents use stories on the news to prompt discussion about legal drugs such as tobacco, over-the-counter and prescribed medications, caffeine (energy drinks) and alcohol, and illegal drugs such as cannabis, synthetic cannabis and methamphetamine. Conversations about ways to refuse offers of alcohol or other drugs, and your expectations about the use of alcohol and other drugs, should also happen.
A Parent Engagement Kit for Secondary Schools - Working with parents to reduce alcohol-related harm among young people has been developed, to assist secondary school communities to deliver key information about alcohol to parents/guardians of 12 to 17 year olds to encourage them to continue educating and talking with their children about alcohol.
The Parents, Young People and Alcohol Campaign - Community Action Kit provides health professionals and community groups with resources and strategies about what can be done locally to decrease alcohol-related harm among young people aged 12 to 17 years. The resources have been developed to extend the reach of the message locally using messages that are consistent with the statewide Alcohol.Think Again program.
Secondary Supply Legislation is now in place in Western Australia, which makes it illegal to serve alcohol to minors in the family home without their parents consent.
These fact sheets are available in 15 languages:
| Arabic | Burmese | Chinese (simpified) | Dari | Dinka |
| Farsi | Hindi | Indonesion | Karen | Korean |
| Swahili | Tagalog | Thai | Tigrunya | Somali |
where to get help
If you think your child may have a drug use problem, talk with your doctor or your local Community Alcohol and Drug Service to find out what resources are available in your area that can help your child manage his or her drug problem.
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Parent and Family Drug Support Line T: (08) 9442 5050 |
Alcohol and Drug Support Line T: (08) 9442 5000 |