For parents and carers
ALTDAP Family Plan
Ten minutes, once a week. No account and no email: print this page or copy a week into WhatsApp. Missing a week is normal.
Find out what your child has already heard, without correcting it yet.
Ask: What have you heard people say about drugs? Where did you hear it?
Say: Thank you for telling me. I am not angry, I just want to know what your world looks like.
Avoid: Do not correct, lecture or react with shock. Listening is the whole task this week.
Give one clear, calm sentence about what your family expects.
Ask: What do you think our family's rule about drugs should be, and why?
Say: In our family we do not use drugs. If you or a friend is ever in trouble, call me any hour and I will come without a lecture that night.
Avoid: Do not list scary stories or threats. One clear sentence is enough.
Agree an easy way for your child to leave a situation that feels wrong.
Ask: If someone offered you something and you wanted to leave, what could you say or do?
Say: You can always text me a word that means come and get me, and I will not ask questions in front of your friends.
Avoid: Do not make it a test. Practise it together, and keep it light.
Make telling the truth feel safe, and check how your child is coping.
Ask: How have you been sleeping and feeling lately? Is anything weighing on you?
Say: I am glad you tell me things. That makes you braver than you think.
Avoid: Do not punish an honest answer. If you do, they will stop telling you.
When your weeks are done, a month on is a good moment to look back. We can send one email then, asking how it went. It is optional, and nothing is kept about your child.
Prefer WhatsApp? Get the Family Plan in your chat
