You need to know and understand:
1. substance use which is legal and illegal, including the illegal use of prescribed
drugs, agency policy and how this affects the role of the worker
2. legislation relating to the supply and use of substances, and to particular individual
groups and how these affect your role and responsibilities
3. legislation and agency policies and guidelines on the storage and use of
substances and your role in relation to these
4. resources within and outside the agency to assist the substance user to control or
minimise the risks of the use
5. the different specialist advice/therapy agencies and national/local support
networks involved in supporting substance users
6. resources within and outside the agency available to assist the substance user to
cease or reduce use, including the different specialist advice/therapy agencies
and national/local support networks involved in supporting substance users
7. your role and responsibilities in relation to the individual and how these should
affect any relationship between you and the individual
8. the different forms of substance which individuals might use, how they are used
and their likely effects
9. the ways in which individuals may combine substances and the different effects
which might arise from this
10. the risks involved with substance misuse both in the short and the long term