A drug advice and psychological counseling service for teens and young people, “HABLA FRANCO” is operated by Peru's National Commission for Development and Life without Drugs (DEVIDA).
Description of the Experience:
The HABLA FRANCO advice and psychological counseling service on drugs
is the first free, nationwide service that offers phone and online service
through a creative, interactive platform for young people, using online
services like chat sessions and e-mails. It also uses new information and
communication technology tools such as forums, blogs, and social networks that
complement the telephone service.
It operates Monday to Saturday from 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m.
HABLA FRANCO is a place where teens, young people, and parents can
talk with counselors about all their concerns about drugs, without being
judged. It has professionals who provide reliable, specialized information on
the issue of drugs. It is worth
noting that user anonymity and
confidentiality of information make HABLA
FRANCO an easy-to-access service (landlines and public phones, internet, at
no cost), with help available immediately on demand.
Since its launch on May 18, 2009,
the service has fielded more than 65,989
calls. Since its website's launch
in early 2013, over 20,000 contacts have been made via chat and email seeking
advice and counseling. These tools
are very popular among teens and young people 12 to 24 years old.
Implementing and launching this
service is part of the Peruvian state's response to the findings of the “National Study: Drug Prevention and Use Among High School
Students” (DEVIDA - MINEDU, 2007),
which revealed that students start using legal drugs at 13, illegal drugs at
13.4, and prescription drugs (stimulants and tranquilizers) at 11.8 years old. Depending on the characteristics of
their use, about 599,070 students may be suffering some physical or mental
health damage, and increased psychosocial risk due to recent alcohol and
tobacco use.
The study also reveals that
350,000 students would be willing to use drugs if someone were to offer them;
190,000 students acknowledge needing treatment for alcohol use; and 35,000 seek
treatment for marijuana and cocaine use.
HABLA FRANCO came about as the closest, cost-free answer by the
state to individuals needing information and assistance on drug issues. It should be noted that this service
falls under the 2007-2011 National
Strategy for Drug Control. Its purpose is to promote and strengthen drug
use prevention and rehabilitation policies and programs at the national level.
It is viewed as an intervention strategy to implement services to counsel and
listen to teens and young people nationwide.
HABLA FRANCO was born out of a need for the state to deliver timely
and free response to individuals - mainly teens and young people - needing
information, advice, and counseling on drug issues by providing them with
objective and reliable information to make informed and responsible decisions.
That is why the National
Commission for Development and Life without Drugs (DEVIDA), with support from
the Belgian Cooperation Agency, decided to launch this service in May 2009.
This intervention strategy is
based on the findings of the "National
Study: Drug Prevention and Use Among High School Students” (DEVIDA - MINEDU, 2007), which revealed that
students start using legal drugs at 13, illegal drugs at 13.4, and prescription
drugs (stimulants and tranquilizers) at 11.8 years old. It also shows that more than 50% of
students use alcohol and tobacco. It reveals that, depending on the
characteristics of their use, about 599,070 students may be suffering some
physical or mental health damage, and increased psychosocial risk due to recent
alcohol and tobacco use.
The study also reveals that
350,000 students would be willing to use drugs if someone were to offer them;
190,000 students acknowledge needing treatment for alcohol use; and 35,000 seek
treatment for marijuana and cocaine use.
This study indicates furthermore
that drug use has touched all regions of the country: in regions like Callao,
Arequipa, Ica, La Libertad, Piura, Tumbes, Tacna, Ayacucho, Ancash, Cajamarca,
Loreto, Huánuco, Ucayali, Madre de Dios, and San Martín, cocaine use by
students increased 251%.
The findings show an alarming
risk of drug use and drug addiction among teens. They reveal as well a lack of services for this
population, which is why DEVIDA, with support from the Belgian Cooperation
Agency, decided to launch HABLA FRANCO
along with a public awareness plan to reach the target audience.
Services it provides:
Habla Franco: (0800) 44 400 - This is a free telephone
service for advice and counseling.
Features:
- Available: Monday through Friday, from: 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m.
- Cost: Free
- Confidential
- Advice and psychological counseling are provided on the issue of drugs and related problems
- Nationwide coverage
- Services available by landline and public telephone
HABLA FRANCO’s advice and
counseling service has answered questions and/or provided alternative solutions
to problems for more than 10,000 callers. This contact is often the first step
towards starting an attitude or behavior change, or the start of treatment.
-HABLA FRANCO'S WEBSITE:
It is an online advice and
counseling service available at the following website address: www.hablafranco.gob.pe.
Advice and counseling are provided by email and chat sessions. It features the
following sections:
- About us: This section contains information about HABLA FRANCO'S advice and counseling service and the benefits it offers.
- Counseling: This has the three platforms of the HABLA FRANCO service.
- Habla Franco: A nationwide toll-free line (0800 44 400) for advice and counseling and can be reached from landlines or public telephones.
- Franco writes: After a short sign-up, teens and young people can contact specialists through this service, emailing them with any doubts or questions.
- Chatea Franco: After a short sign-up, teens and young people can contact specialists through this service, via chat sessions.
- Chatea ahora: This section uses instant messaging for chats with a counselor.
- Parents section: The section contains information especially geared towards parents, including articles on matters of interest to them and guidelines to help them relate better with their children.
- Games: This section takes a fun approach to information on drug use and its consequences, seeking to get teens and young people to learn through fun.
- Downloads: This section has informational material, such as brochures on drugs, articles to download, and the latest findings from surveys and studies done by DEVIDA.
- Agenda: Here, information can be found on various leisure activities for youngsters and teens. This agenda is updated regularly.
- Videos: DEVIDA videos or publicity campaigns on drug use are contained here.
- Wallpapers: The program's wallpapers with innovative designs may be downloaded to computers.
- Social media: Habla Franco services can also be accessed via social media like Facebook and by friending us.
- News: This section carries the latest news about Habla Franco services, such as events and interesting facts.
Outcomes:
Before HABLA FRANCO, there was no
free nationwide public service for information, advice, and counseling on
drugs, over the telephone and online, easily accessible and available 12 hours
a day, 6 days a week. Since its
inception, HABLA FRANCO has handled more than 65,000 calls and has made nearly
20,000 contacts via chat and email. It is positioning itself as a
drug-assistance service in the society, with a television, radio, and print
media presence. It is considered a professional training service for
final year psychology students to do their internships.
Challenges:
- Promoting an appropriate work environment of ongoing coordination
- Ongoing training for counselors in issues of teens, drugs, and other related problems.
Lessons learned:
The implementation stage involved
constant learning and the following was observed:
- It was essential to create a service delivery handbook that includes information on the issue of drugs as well as care procedures.
- A communication strategy needed to be designed and implemented, in order to identity and position Habla Franco's advice and counseling service.
The following lessons were drawn
at the execution stage:
- Ongoing training for counselors in issues of teens, drugs, and other related problems.
- Public awareness campaigns for the target population needed to be run on an ongoing basis.
- The need to establish strategic partnerships with public and private institutions to promote the service and for case referrals.
Useful links:
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Contact person details:
Federico Infante Lembcke¸ DEVIDA
Advisor to the Secretary General
Email: finfante@devida.gob.pe
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