Speaker
Description
Authors: Natacha Torres da Silva (Instituto Português da Juventude, I.P.), Susana Henriques (Universidade Aberta, CEG), Leonardo Sousa (Associação Solidaried’arte - Associação de Educação e Integração pela Arte e Desenvolvimento Cultural Social e Local), Carmen Bettencourt (Associação Solidaried’arte - Associação de Educação e Integração pela Arte e Desenvolvimento Cultural Social e Local), Gregor Burkhart (Principal Scientific Analyst for Prevention, Public Health Unit, European Union Drugs Agency (EUDA), President of the EUSPR (2022-2025))
Background: Portugal has one of the most decriminalised legal frameworks regarding narcotic and psychotropic substance use. However, specialized prevention training for decision-makers (DOP) and frontline professionals remains scarce. The European Prevention Curriculum (EUPC) was designed to bridge this gap, but its implementation in Portugal has been hindered by several obstacles, including the absence of a national coordinating body, the lack of formal requirement for EUPC trainings qualification, and the limited sharing of translated training materials.
Methods: Two key milestones have supported the implementation of the EUPC in Portugal: (1) In 2022, four independent professionals completed the EMCDDA’s Training of Trainers (ToT) program, becoming national trainers and setting the groundwork for further training initiatives; (2) The Frontline Politeia project in Portugal identified critical gaps in prevention training and strategies. The impact of the new trainings with newly translated materials is being assessed through pre- and post-training evaluations using descriptive statistics, as well as content analysis of focus groups conducted at least six months after the training for DOPs and at least three months after those for frontline professionals.
Results: The training highlighted the distinction between evidence-based prevention competencies and expertise from personal experience. Pre- and post-training assessments demonstrated significant knowledge improvement and reinforced the importance of evidence-based decision-making. However, the DOPs reported several challenges: the absence of a comprehensive and supportive national prevention framework, limited funding, a lack of rigorous evaluation requirements for prevention funding, and insufficient time for discussion and practical exercises during the EUPC trainings.
Discussion: The EUPC implementation in Portugal reinforced the urgent need to integrate scientific research with practical expertise in line with other research findings in Europe, which highlight the persistent underutilization of evidence-based prevention strategies. To address these challenges, initiatives such as blended learning for youth and health professionals, expanded training for teachers, law enforcement and youth workers, and the EUPC Frontline micro-credential program are currently being implemented and tested. The presentation will propose elements to make EUPC trainings more tailored, accessible and relevant for key stakeholder in order to promote a sustainable and effective prevention system in Portugal.
| Conflict of interest | Authors declare no conflicts of interest |
|---|
