1. Today I am pleased to be presenting an overview of the youth worker guidelines developed by the Casey Tobacco Working Group. The guidelines aim to reduce tobacco use among young people living within the Casey shire.

2. Where is the City of Casey?
This is a map of Victoria.
The grey area represents metropolitan Melbourne

3. Where is the City of Casey?
                                                                                                                              
Within metropolitan Melbourne, you can see the City of Casey is located in the Outer East.

4. About the City of Casey Australia’s third fastest-growing municipality
Victoria’s most populous municipality
currently up to 50 families move in every week
approximately 70% of the population is under the age of 40 years
Some quick stats about the City of Casey
Population
Over the past five years the City of Casey was Victoria’s fastest-growing municipality.
It was also the third-fastest in Australia behind the Gold Coast and Brisbane City Councils over the same period
The City of Casey is Victoria’s most populous municipality - the population is estimated at 228,910*
Currently, up to 50 families move in every week or, approximately 8,000 people each year
Approximately 70 per cent of people are aged under 40 years (August 2006)

5. Casey Tobacco Working Group
is part of the Casey Drug Action Committee
a partnership of local and state key stakeholders
the group is committed to reducing the prevalence of tobacco use among young people
The working group is part of the Casey Drug Action Committee which is part of the City of Casey Municipal Health Plan.
The working group is a partnership of local and state key stakeholders and is made up of representatives from:
The City of Casey,
Dandenong District Division of General Practice,
Cardinia Casey Community Health Service,
South East Alcohol and Drug Services and
Quit Victoria
The working group’s strategic plan addresses key objectives outlined in the National Tobacco Strategy Plan 2004 – 2009.
The group is committed to reducing the prevalence of tobacco use among young people. The Youth worker guidelines project is one of many initiatives that has been developed to address this concerning issue

6. Developing the Guidelines
2002
youth sector forum to identify current attitudes and practices
2003
reviewed existing resources within Australia
developed draft guidelines
2004
continued to edit draft
– consulted with 40 youth workers
The development of the youth guidelines has been a long, valuable process, and has certainly been worth the wait.
In 2002 – The Casey Tobacco working group conducted a forum with youth workers to identify current attitudes and practices within youth services.
2003 – the group reviewed existing resources within Australia
- developed draft guidelines
continued to edit draft
- consulted with 40 youth workers

7. Developing the Guidelines
2005
further editing of document
2006
graphic design and production of guidelines
launch/information session on guidelines
2007
post evaluation of guidelines
editing of document
graphic design and production of
guidelines
- launch/information session on guidelines
post evaluation of guidelines

8. Aims of the Guidelines
prevent or delay a young person from taking up smoking
help prevent a young person who is experimenting with tobacco to not progress to a dependent smoker
assist a young person who smokes to reduce or quit smoking by moving them through the stages of change
create and support smokefree environments and policy that enhance young people’s health and well-being
There are eight guidelines.
The following are the aims of the guidelines
prevent or delay a young person from taking up smoking
help prevent a young person who is experimenting with tobacco to not progress to a dependent smoker
assist a young person who smokes to reduce or quit smoking by moving them through the stages of change
create and support smokefree environments and policy that enhance young people’s health and well-being

9. Guideline 1
develop a supportive mentoring relationship with young people and be a positive role model
So the first guideline is…..

10. Guideline 2
inform young people about the risks of smoking including the long and short-term health effects. Encourage and support young people to not start smoking or in cases where they are already smoking, to quit
Guideline 2

11. Guideline 3
develop an understanding of the process by which young people become dependent smokers and highlight the powerful influence of social settings where young people may feel pressure to smoke
Some social settings where young people are exposed to smoking is through are:
-Parents smoking
Smoking in movies
Movie stars who smoke (as published in weekly magazines)
Friends who smoke at school
Friends and coaches who smoke at the local sports club

13. Guideline 4
keep abreast of smoking rates and other tobacco issues that relate to young people
Keep abreast of smoking rates and other tobacco issues that relate to young people.
For instance the mistaken perception that most people smoke

14. Guideline 5
acquire knowledge and develop skills to help young people to quit or reduce smoking

15. Integrating the uptake postcard set and quitting postcard set
This slide shows how the Uptake and Quitting postcard sets produced by Quit Victoria can be used to inform how the two processes integrate with one another.
To date the postcard sets have been distributed to a wide range of professionals who work with young people, including youth workers.
non-smoker

16. Guideline 6
develop and support a comprehensive smokefree policy within your service that encompasses indoor and outdoor areas and at any youth service sponsored event
A smokefree policy should also include a rationale for preventing tobacco use
and outline provision for support of staff, young people and visitors to comply with the policy

17. Guideline 7
support and advocate smokefree environments frequented by young people e.g. smokefree gigs

18. Guideline 8
support legislation that eliminates the sale and supply of tobacco to minors and the promotion of tobacco products

19. Getting the process started
includes a needs analysis to prompt youth workers and youth service managers to review their organisation’s current position
The Guidelines document also includes a needs analysis.
The aim of the needs analysis is to prompt youth workers and youth service managers to review their organisation’s current position and to help discussions about implementing best practice.

20. Pre-evaluation data pre-evaluation (base-line data) included
quick quiz
attitudes and current smokefree policy within youth services
42  pre-evaluations were completed and submitted
On the day of the launch pre-evaluation surveys were distributed to youth workers who attended.
The survey included a quick quiz of 6 questions to establish a current level of understanding about tobacco use among young people.
The survey also included 12 questions to obtain an understanding of current attitudes and smokefree policy practice within youth services.
In total 42 pre-evaluations were completed
Post evaluation surveys have been completed and are currently being followed up and compiled.
However I will now outline some results gathered from the pre-evaluation

21. Quick quiz findings overall results were very pleasing, however
52% agreed smoking rates had steadily decreased since 1984
57% agreed smoking bans in the home decrease the likelihood of young people smoking
Overall results were very pleasing, however
- 52% of participants when asked whether smoking rates had steadily decreased since 1984 responded they ‘agreed’. Therefore 48% did not know or disagreed
- 57% of participants when asked whether smoking bans in the home are effective in decreasing the likelihood of young people smoking, responded they ‘agreed’. Therefore 43% did not know or disagreed

22. Current attitudes and policy
overall results were very pleasing
86% of youth services reported having a smokefree policy
80% no smoking inside
39% no smoking on the premises including outside
41% no smoking at any youth service sponsored event
61% youth workers not permitted to smoke in front of young people
72% youth workers not permitted to offer cigarettes to young people
Pre-evaluation findings
Again we were very happy with findings gathered.
86% of youth services reported having a smokefree policy
Of those youth services that did have policies, they reported the following:
- 80% reported no smoking inside, however this should be 100% as it is legislated all enclosed workplaces should be smokefree

23. Current attitudes and policy
35% of youth services reported not very often raising quitting smoking with young people they serve
Pre-evaluation findings
35% of youth services reported not very often raising quitting smoking with young people they serve
So from this very brief overview of current attitudes and practice within youth services in this region, you can see there is still improvement that can be made.

24. Tobacco use may appear to be the least of their problems today, but the affects of tobacco use may become their most significant problem in the future
So the basis of addressing youth smoking is that….

25.
The Youth Worker Guidelines are available to download from the OxyGen website.

26. Further information Bianca Crosling Prevention Project Coordinator
Quit Victoria