Chris's story
How EYPDAS helps young people like you
How Jamie helped Chris
When I first met Chris, he was in a bad way. He was using drugs
like crack and heroin, and a lot of cannabis.
I'm a project worker in the Offender Related Service team at EYPDAS
and help young offenders with drug problems.
I'm used to working with young people like Chris, who is
16. He owed a lot of money to drug dealers and had sold most
of his things to pay for his habit. He was about to be thrown out
of his flat for not paying his rent and breaking the rules.
Chris had robbed people in the street and was awaiting trial for
it, knowing he might go to prison. He was scared.
Getting support
I worked with Chris to help him cope with his anxiety about the
court case without using drugs.
I helped him move into what is called supported housing - where
he could live independently but still have adults on hand for
advice and support. I saw him two or three times a week to support
him to come off the drugs. We talked about Chris's drug use in
detail and the bad side effects of using. Social care gave him a
phone so he could call us every day for support.
I helped Chris get support from other services too, including
the local mental health services when he told me he was feeling
suicidal.
Unfortunately, Chris was sent to prison. It's not a fairytale
ending but because we'd had a chance to work together for 10 months
beforehand, Chris was stable, confident and able to cope.
He is now looked after by the prison drug support service and
when we last met, he looked well and healthy.
Darren's story