Course Details

CPD COURSE · ENGLAND AND WALES · SEPTEMBER 2026 EDITION

Drugs and Alcohol Awareness Training

Ten modules for practitioners already working in health, social care, housing, education, criminal justice and community services. Built on the current law, ONS and OHID data published in 2025 and 2026, the 2024 naloxone regulations and the England and Wales treatment and safeguarding frameworks.

CPD HOURS

15 hours

ACCREDITED BY

The CPD Standards Office

COURSE CONTENTS

PPT · Audio podcast · Audio quiz · Infographics

5,565

drug-poisoning deaths registered in England and Wales in 2024, the highest on record (ONS, Oct 2025)

9,809

alcohol-specific deaths registered in the UK in 2024, the first annual fall since 2018 (ONS, May 2026)

329,646

adults in drug and alcohol treatment in England in 2024–25, up 6% (OHID, Dec 2025)

Overview

The course gives practitioners who are not substance-use specialists a current, sourced and jurisdiction-specific account of the substances people use, the harm they cause, the law that applies, how to recognise and talk about use, how to respond to an emergency, and how the treatment, mental health and safeguarding systems in England and Wales fit together. Every module ends by sending the learner back to their own setting with a task that tests the material against real practice.

It is written for England and Wales. Where the two differ (treatment commissioning and Area Planning Boards, DAN 24/7, minimum unit pricing, the Social Services and Well-being (Wales) Act duties, Working Together against the Wales Safeguarding Procedures) the material says so. Drug classification and driving law are UK-wide and are described as such. Scotland and Northern Ireland are not covered.

Design principles: practitioner level (recognition, response, escalation and referral; no dosing, preparation or clinical method); harm reduction in line with the English drug strategy and the Welsh delivery plan; every statistic sourced and dated on the slide; built on the 2024 naloxone regulations, ONS 2024 death registrations, OHID 2024–25 treatment data, the ACMD ketamine review (January 2026), the England co-occurring needs framework (December 2025) and Working Together 2026.

Who this course is for

Practitioners whose work brings them into contact with people who use drugs or alcohol, and who need to recognise, respond and refer without being specialists. Typical learners:

▪ Housing officers, hostel and supported-accommodation staff, homelessness outreach workers.

▪ Social workers, care assessors, adult and children’s safeguarding leads, family support workers.

▪ Nurses, healthcare assistants, health visitors, midwives and primary care staff outside specialist addiction services.

▪ Teachers, pastoral leads, designated safeguarding leads, youth workers and further education staff.

▪ Probation, youth justice, police custody and community safety staff.

▪ Community, faith, employment-support and advice workers; managers responsible for workplace drugs and alcohol policy.

Assumed knowledge: at least a year’s experience in a public-facing role and familiarity with your own organisation’s safeguarding and incident procedures. No clinical or specialist training is assumed.

Learning outcomes

By the end of the course a learner will be able to:

1.
Describe the main groups of substances, their principal effects and risks, the significance of route and poly-drug use, and use non-stigmatising terminology.

2.
Explain the legal framework in England and Wales: drug classes and penalties, the Psychoactive Substances Act, alcohol licensing, drink and drug driving limits, employer duties, the Equality Act position on dependence, and information-sharing rules.

3.
Calculate alcohol units, apply the UK Chief Medical Officers’ guidelines, recognise dependence and withdrawal risk, and deliver identification and brief advice using AUDIT-C and AUDIT.

4.
Describe current trends including synthetic opioids, cocaine, ketamine and prescribed-medicine dependence, and act on local drug alerts.

5.
Conduct a non-judgemental screening conversation, apply motivational interviewing principles, recognise red flags, and make a warm referral.

6.
Recognise opioid overdose and alcohol poisoning, respond in line with their policy, describe the naloxone supply rules since December 2024, and explain harm-reduction services.

7.
Describe how treatment is organised and funded in England and Wales, the evidence-based interventions available, and the meaning of recovery and recovery capital.

8.
Apply the ‘no wrong door’ principle to co-occurring mental health needs, recognise suicide and psychosis risk at practitioner level, and use trauma-informed and Housing First approaches.

9.
Recognise parental substance use and hidden harm, exploitation of children and adults, and follow the safeguarding pathways in England and in Wales.

10.
Contribute to a lawful workplace drugs and alcohol policy, support a colleague appropriately, maintain professional boundaries and their own wellbeing, and keep their knowledge current.

Career path

The course does not by itself qualify anyone for a role. It supports progression into, or stronger performance in, roles where substance-use awareness is assessed.

ROLE OR DIRECTION	HOW THE COURSE SUPPORTS IT
Substance-use recovery worker or keyworker	Whole course as a grounding; Modules 5, 6 and 7 most directly
Housing or homelessness support worker (complex needs)	Modules 2, 6, 8 and 9: premises law, harm reduction, co-occurring needs, cuckooing
Designated safeguarding lead or deputy	Module 9 and the England and Wales safeguarding frame
Lived-experience or peer recovery worker	Modules 5, 7 and 10: motivational approach, recovery capital, boundaries
Health and wellbeing or workplace HR lead	Modules 2, 3 and 10: law, brief intervention, policy and testing
Youth worker or school pastoral role	Modules 4, 5 and 9: trends, conversations with young people, exploitation
Probation, youth justice or police custody roles	Modules 2, 6 and 7: law and diversion, overdose response, treatment requirements

Course structure

Ten modules. Each has an image-led opener, teaching slides, an Apply and Reflect task and one verified external resource. A 20-question multiple-choice knowledge check closes the course.

1
Substances, Effects and Terminology

2
The Legal Framework in England and Wales

3
Alcohol: Units, Guidelines and Harm

4
Drugs: Trends, Markets and Emerging Risks

5
Recognition, Screening and Conversations

6
Harm Reduction and Overdose Response

7
Treatment and Recovery Systems

8
Co-occurring Needs: Mental Health, Trauma and Housing

9
Children, Families and Safeguarding

10
Workplace Policy, Professional Practice and Wellbeing

Frequently asked questions

Q. Is this a licence to practise, a clinical qualification or an accredited safeguarding course?

No. It is continuing professional development. It does not qualify anyone to administer or supply naloxone, to give first aid, to assess or treat dependence, or to act as a designated safeguarding lead. The course supports those roles; it does not confer them.

Q. Does it carry CPD hours and is it accredited?

Yes. The course carries 15 CPD hours and is accredited by The CPD Standards Office. Professional bodies and employers decide how CPD is recorded against their own requirements.

Q. Does Module 6 count as naloxone training?

No. Module 6 teaches recognition of overdose and the legal and service context for naloxone. Kits are supplied with practical training by authorised services; the course tells learners where to get it.

Q. Does it cover Scotland or Northern Ireland?

No. Drug classification and the Misuse of Drugs Act are UK-wide, but treatment systems, alcohol policy, safeguarding law and naloxone arrangements differ. Modules 1, 3 and 5 apply anywhere; the system and law modules do not.

Q. Does the course teach harm reduction? Is that appropriate?

Yes, at the level set out in the English drug strategy, the Welsh delivery plan and OHID and Welsh Government guidance: keep people alive and connected. It contains no dosing or preparation information; those conversations belong to specialist services.

Q. How current is it?

Figures and statutory references were verified on 12 September 2026. ONS and OHID statistics are annual; the ketamine classification decision and the naloxone consultation outcome were pending; drug alerts change continuously. The course is re-checked before each delivery.

Q. Can learners with their own experience of substance use take it?

Yes. Each sensitive module opens with a practitioner-support note, and support routes are stated at the start and end. Learners are not asked to disclose anything.

Q. What if I disagree with a statement in the course?

Check the cited source first; then raise it with the trainer. The package is designed to be corrected. Where law or guidance is described as pending or under consultation, assume it may have moved.

Status of this course

This is continuing professional development. It is not a licence to practise, it is not a clinical qualification and it does not by itself satisfy any statutory or regulatory training requirement: naloxone administration, first aid, safeguarding and clinical assessment each have their own training standards. Sensitive material is pitched at recognition, response, escalation and referral; the course contains no dosing, preparation or clinical method.

DRUGS AND ALCOHOL AWARENESS TRAINING · 15 CPD HOURS · ACCREDITED BY THE CPD STANDARDS OFFICE · TEN MODULES

£25.00

Course Features

Lectures 12
Quizzes 2
Duration Lifetime access
Skill level All levels
Language English
Students 2
Certificate Yes
Assessments Self