Keeping Safe and Healthy

Know about drugs and alcohol.

• Impact on physical and mental health of non-prescription drugs, smoking/vaping/ alcohol:
• Alcohol – long-term effects including increased risk of cancers, stroke, heart and liver disease; single session excessive drinking – accidents resulting in injury, misjudging risky situations, loss of self-control leading to, for example, unprotected sex, involvement in fights
• Drugs – new psychoactive substances (such as spice), can cause paranoia, coma, seizures, and, in rare cases, death. Long-term or excessive use of cannabis is linked to mental health problems such as schizophrenia, paranoia, and when smoked to lung diseases such as cancer and heart disease. Long-term use of ecstasy has been linked to memory problems, anxiety, depression and in some cases psychosis
• Risks of drug-taking are increased by not knowing what substances actually contain or the strength of the ingredients. In rare cases, this can lead to death
• Many drugs are addictive. Addiction can lead not just to physical harm but also increases risk of damaging relationships with friends and family; loss of job; involvement in criminal activity
• Smoking tobacco – increased risk of cancer, heart disease and heart attack, vascular diseases, COPD and pneumonia. It also exacerbates symptoms of asthma. It can reduce fertility in men and women and cause impotence in men. Smoking during pregnancy increases risk of miscarriage, low birth weight babies, premature birth and stillbirth.
• Vaping – Most of the chemicals causing smoking related disease are absent in e-cigarettes, and the chemicals that are present have been found to pose little danger. However, there are no long-term studies on effects of vaping yet.

What the law says about drugs including new psychoactive substances:

• Drugs are classified into 3 Groups: A (e.g. cocaine, heroin, LSD), B (e.g. amphetamines, cannabis) and C (e.g. ketamine). It is illegal to supply or possess any of these drugs; penalties range from life imprisonment for supply of Class A drugs to two years imprisonment or a fine for possession of Class C drugs.
• It is illegal to produce, supply or offer to supply any psychoactive substance (e.g. nitrous oxide, spice) if the substance is likely to be used for its psychoactive effects. It is not illegal to possess these drugs.

What the law says about cigarettes

• You must be over 18 to buy cigarettes in the UK. If you’re under 16 the police have the right to confiscate your cigarettes. 
• It's illegal for shops to sell you cigarettes if you are underage and for an adult to buy you cigarettes if you are under 18
• It is illegal to smoke in all public enclosed or substantially enclosed area and workplaces.

What the law says about alcohol:

• You can be stopped, fined or arrested by police if you’re under 18 and drinking alcohol in public. If you’re under 18, it’s against the law:

1. For someone to sell you alcohol
2. To buy or try to buy alcohol
3. For an adult to buy or try to buy alcohol for you
4. To drink alcohol in licensed premises (such as a pub or restaurant). However, if you’re 16 or 17 and accompanied by an adult, you can drink (but not buy) beer, wine or cider with a meal.

• In England and Wales, there is an alcohol limit for drivers. It is calculated by the amount of alcohol in your blood. This means it is not possible to set a safe drinking limit as it will vary according to your weight, age, size, metabolism, what you’ve recently eaten or stress levels. To be absolutely sure to be under the legal limit, you need to avoid alcohol when driving altogether.

Recommended maximum consumption levels for alcohol:

• One unit is 10ml or 8g of pure alcohol
• 14 units per week for men and women = 6 pints of 4% (typical alcohol content) beer; 6 glasses of 13% (typical alcohol content) wine; 14 glasses of 40% (typical alcohol content) spirits.

Sources of /info/support: websites such as NHS Choices; drinkaware; Addaction; Alcoholics Anonymous; GP; CAMHS substance misuse teams; voluntary and community groups.

Assessment Criteria

• 1.1

  Describe the potential impact on physical and mental health of drugs and alcohol.

• 1.2

  Outline key legislation relating to drugs and alcohol.

• 1.3

  Outline government guidelines on safe use of alcohol.

• 1.4

  Outline different sources of information, advice, guidance and/or support relating to alcohol and substance misuse.

Know about sexual health, sexuality and gender identity.

Consent:

Definition – the voluntary agreement to participate in sexual activity, covers sexual intercourse but also other sexual acts and intimate touching; a person is not considered to have given consent if they have been pressured or bullied, encouraged to use drugs of alcohol or otherwise manipulated to influence their decision. A person may be too intoxicated to give consent. A person has their right to change their mind about giving consent at any point during sexual activity.

Common STIs - e.g. chlamydia, gonorrhoea, genital warts and herpes.

Impact of STIs on sexual health:

• Immediate symptoms such as itching, soreness, swelling and potential
• Longer-term effects such as infertility, mother-to-child transmission, increased risk of HIV; symptomless infection can still result in transmission and longer-term impact
• Risk factors – multiple partners, or a partner with multiple partners, unprotected sex.

Ways to reduce risk of acquiring/transmitting STIs:

• Having a small number of partners, using condoms, avoiding riskier sexual practices more likely to result in broken skin.

Different types of contraception:

• Short-term, e.g. barrier and hormonal methods such as condom or contraceptive pill
• Long-acting reversible contraception, e.g. coil/implant)
• Emergency – morning after pill.

Advantages and disadvantages of different types of contraception - e.g. LARCs do not protect against STIs but do not require remembering to take a pill each day; condoms protect against STIs but may require interruption to sexual act and need to have them with you, so less good for unplanned sexual activity.

Sexual orientation: which types of people you are romantically and sexually attracted to: homosexual – gay/lesbian; heterosexual – straight; bisexual.

Gender identity - the way your feel about your own gender:

• This may be the same as or different from the gender identity you were given at birth, e.g. someone assigned a male identity at birth may feel that they are female
• Gender identity is not the same as sex which is determined by the physical body and biology. 
• Gender non-binary or fluid – someone who does not identify specifically as either male or female, sometimes feeling a combination of the two or at times one or the other
• Trans/Transgender – someone whose gender identity or gender expression is different from the gender that they were assigned at birth.

Rights under Equality Act:

• A person cannot be discriminated against because of sexual orientation or because they are a transsexual
• Sexual orientation and gender reassignment are two of the nine ‘protected characteristics’.

Sources of advice on LGBQT+ issues – websites such as Stonewall, LGBT Foundation; helplines such as Terence Higgins Trust, Switchboard LGBT; Childline.

Sources of advice/info on sexual health matters – websites such as NHS Direct, FPA; Terence Higgins Trust; GP; pharmacies; contraception/sexual health clinics.

Assessment Criteria

• 2.1

  Explain what is meant by consent.

• 2.2

  Outline ways to reduce the risk of acquiring different sexually transmitted diseases.

• 2.3

  Describe common methods of contraception and key differences between them.

• 2.4

  Describe what is meant by the term ‘sexual orientation’.

• 2.5

  Describe what is meant by the term ‘gender identity’.

• 2.6

  Outline sources of information, advice guidance and/or support on sexual health and LGBQT+ issues.

Know about diet and exercise.

Characteristics of health eating and drinking;

• Balanced diet including different food groups (carbohydrates, protein, milk and dairy, fruit and vegetables, fats and sugars)
• Portion size
• Recommended daily calorie levels – 2,500 for adult male; 2,000 for adult female.

Government/NHS guidance and campaigns – e.g. 5 a day, 6-8 glasses of water.

Impact on health:

• Being overweight or obese are potent risk factors for cardiovascular diseases and type 2 diabetes and are major contributors to premature death
• Insufficient calories cause tiredness, fatigue
• Eating too much fast food or highly processed food means the body does not get the nutrients it needs to maintain healthy muscles, bones, teeth and blood, to give us energy and to ensure organs function properly
• Too much salt, fat, and sugar can result in high blood pressure, which can lead to heart disease, heart attack and stroke.

Types of exercise:

• aerobic, strength
• different means of taking exercise (sport, leisure, team/solo, built into daily routines, e.g. walking or cycling rather than driving); moderate and vigorous
• NHS guidance on amount of exercise – 150 mins of moderate aerobic exercise per week for adults; strength exercises on 2+ days per week.

Benefits of exercise – physical and mental:

• Reduces risk of heart disease, stroke, cancer, diabetes by up to 50%
• Lowers risk of early death by 30%
• Helps with muscle and bone health
• Vigorous activity doubles health benefits of moderate activity
• Boosts self-esteem, mood, sleep quality and energy and reduces risk of stress and depression
• Exercise causes changes in the brain that promote feelings of calm and well-being. It also releases endorphins, powerful chemicals in the brain that give energy and make people feel positive
• It can also serve as a distraction, offering quiet time to break out of the cycle of negative thoughts that feed depression and anxiety.

Assessment Criteria

• 3.1

  Outline the key characteristics of healthy eating and drinking.

• 3.2

  Describe the possible impact on health of unhealthy eating.

• 3.3

  Outline types and amounts of exercise needed to maintain good health.

• 3.4

  Outline the benefits to physical and mental health of taking exercise.

Know about keeping safe.

Online risks:

• Grooming, financial scams, identity theft, malicious spreading of viruses, fake news

• Potential consequences of falling for these – loss of money; involvement with gangs/extremists; sexual exploitation.

Key ways to avoid online risks:

Levels of personal information shared, secure passwords, privacy settings, recognising key signs of common scams/risky situations,

Responsible online behaviours:

Not creating or forwarding unpleasant humiliating emails, photos or text messages about someone else, reporting suspicious/offensive online activity, avoiding illegal online activity, e.g. hacking, stealing, illegally downloading online material, sexting if image is of someone under 18 including self

Key risks to personal safety:

Personal safety is the ability to go about one’s everyday life free from the threat or fear of psychological, emotional or physical harm from others. Harm might include:

• Theft/mugging

• Violence/harm/aggression – including domestic violence

• Exploitation/grooming – sexual, financial, by extremists, by gangs

Specific risks relating to exploitation vary according to locality/circumstance but might include:

• Involvement with gangs – being forced into stealing/drug dealing/county lines activity/modern slavery

• Involvement in an exploitative sexual relationship or sexual activity in return for money, gifts or affection or through fear or threat

• Involvement with extremist groups/individuals who seek to influence your thinking and persuade you to engage in illegal activity.

Own behaviour can also represent a risk to your personal safety (e.g. provoking fights; driving too fast/irresponsibly; engaging in dangerous/thrill-seeking activity).

Safe/risk-avoiding behaviours:

• Take responsibility for self, e.g. having a charged phone on you when you go out, so you can make emergency calls, contact others, travel with friends, ensure you have a plan and the means to get home after a night out, keep an eye on drinks to prevent spiking

• Take precautions – e.g. let people know where you are going and when you plan to get back, avoid badly lit areas at night, choose an occupied carriage on a train, don’t use your phone or wear headphones in isolated places, carry a personal alarm, never carry a knife for personal protection both because it is illegal and evidence suggests it increases (not reduces) your chances of getting hurt if you are involved in an altercation

• Limit possibility of theft – keep expensive gadgets out of sight when out and about; ensure house is securely locked, including windows, if leaving it unoccupied, ensure valuables are not easily seen from the street, ask for ID from anyone (e.g. tradesmen) wanting to enter the house, lock bikes/cars securely, do not let cash/credit cards out of your sight in a shop/restaurant, check card machines for signs of interference and do not accept help from anyone at a cashpoint

• Look out for signs that others are trying to exploit you – do not spend time with people or carry out actions that make you feel unsafe, under pressure or frightened; do not automatically trust or believe people you do not know; do not be persuaded into doing something unsafe because it seems fun or you are being offered cash or rewards; be aware when a relationship changes so that where you were previously made to feel special, valued, or a good friend now you feel controlled or threatened

• Recognise when a relationship is becoming abusive - (e.g. a partner is violent towards you or controlling you in terms of what you can do, who you can see, how you spend your money) and leave or seek help/advice on how to leave from a trusted adult or reputable organisation

• Limit alcohol intake – being drunk can lead to poor decision-making and increases risk-taking behaviour, chance of accidents and likelihood of getting involved in altercations

• Drive responsibly and within speed limits and resist temptation to show off to passengers; appoint a ‘designated driver’ who does not drink if driving on/after a night out; do not get into a car if the driver has been drinking.

Assessment Criteria

• 4.1

  Describe key online risks.

• 4.2

  Describe ways to keep safe and act responsibly online.

• 4.3

  Describe key personal safety risks.

• 4.4

  Describe ways to maintain personal safety.