Cumberland Council has announced the launch of a new partnership, looking to highlight the risks of underage drinking.
Coinciding with the beginning of Alcohol Awareness Week, as well as Anti-Social Behaviour Awareness Week, the Workington Community Alcohol Partnership will begin engaging with young people in local secondary schools to learn more about their alcohol use. Once this has been established, they will work alongside youth services and local organisations to improve the support that young people are being given.
As well as working with local authorities and the police, the partnership will be working with local schools and retailers. Schools will be encouraged to educate more young people about underage drinking, as well as making sure that they are able to make good decisions concerning things such as alcohol, vaping, and drugs, as well as anti-social and criminal behaviour. Local retailers will be brought into the plans to reduce sales to young people, as well as reducing the number of ‘proxy’ sales that see adults purchasing alcohol for young people.
Licensed premises will also be visited by local police so that they can learn more about the CAP, as well as being pointed in the direction of free online Challenge 25 training.
The organisations that make up the Workington CAP are:
- Cumberland Council
- Cumbria Police
- Edge NE
- Third sector support
- Licensing leads
- Schools
- Public Health
Councillor Martin Harris, Portfolio Holder for Adult and Community Health at Cumberland Council, said:
“It’s really great to see this new partnership come together to tackle the issue of underage drinking in the Workington Area., I hope that by working together, we can reduce the level of drinking among people in the area and provide them with a clear understanding of how alcohol, vaping and drugs can affect their lives.
“I’m confident that this partnership approach will have a positive impact on the health and wellbeing of local children and young people in this area.”
Cumberland Council’s Director of Public Health, Colin Cox, said:
“Young people can face difficult challenges in their lives, and we need to ensure they have the confidence to help them make the right decisions, especially since alcohol abuse can severely impact on the ability to make positive choices.
“Young people drinking can also impact on the whole community and we have listened to local concerns, and I am pleased to see the community and partners coming together in this new CAP initiative to tackle these issues.
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