Important communication about alcohol and drug use

Dear resident

Recreational drugs – including new psychoactive substances and herbal or “legal highs” – and/or excessive use of alcohol can pose a serious and immediate risk to otherwise fit and well students. And of course there is also a good body of evidence showing the longer-term physical and mental health risks of regular use. So we are writing to remind you about the help that is available to safeguard you from alcohol- and drug-related harm.

Whilst the possession or use of illegal drugs is a disciplinary offence, our primary concern will always be for your safety and wellbeing. If you genuinely seek our help because you are worried about your use of alcohol or drugs, we will approach your concerns confidentially and non-judgmentally. We will seek to provide you with the support you need. If you are willing to accept professional help, in most cases we will not pursue disciplinary action. 

Similarly, if you are concerned about a friend's use of alcohol or drugs in the hall, you can tell us in confidence, without fear that you will get your friend in trouble. Telling us your concerns about a friend's use of alcohol or drugs could be the thing that saves his or her life. Please don't stand by and do nothing. 

Most importantly, if you or a friend become unwell after taking drugs, please get medical help (call 999 for an ambulance) and inform the front-desk reception immediately. In a medical emergency our concern is always to ensure that the paramedics and doctors treating you know exactly what has happened and why, so please tell us the whole story. Your health and wellbeing always come first.

So if you are concerned about any matter relating to alcohol or drug use in hall – your own or someone else's – make an appointment to speak in confidence with the Warden in your Hall.

English law places some requirements on us that mean we must use the disciplinary procedure in certain circumstances. These are:

1.       If there is any evidence that a resident is supplying drugs to others, causing a breach of the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971.

2.       If smoking drugs such as cannabis inside the Hall is causing a breach of the Health Act 2010.

3.       If the use of drugs in the Hall causes risk to the safety of other residents, staff, or the public, in breach of the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 or the Health & Safety at Work Act 1974.

We will also use the disciplinary procedure if we find evidence of illegal drug use in your room but neither you nor a friend has come forward seeking help. It is too late to ask for our help after we have found evidence of drug use.

Links to sites providing information on alcohol and drug use disorder are provided below, with contact details for counselling and support services. Whilst we do wish to provide direct support these hopefully provide alternative avenues if you feel unable to contact anyone in hall. Whether through Hall staff or alternative support provision, please do seek professional help and gain an understanding of the risks you face.

Yours faithfully

Andrew Howarth

Acting Head of Residential Accommodation

Adrian Clark

Warden, Connaught Hall

warden@connaught-hall.org.uk

Alice Coote-Cowling

Hall Manager, College & Connaught Halls

alice.coote-cowling@london.ac.uk

Help with alcohol use concerns 

Drinkaware

Sensible drinking tips & help with alcohol problems

www.drinkaware.co.uk

Drink Smarter

Sensible drinking tips & help with alcohol problems

www.drinksmarter.org/drinkline – 0800 7 314 314

Camden Alcohol Service

Individual and group counselling sessions and advice on alcohol related problems

www.candi.nhs.uk/services/camden-specialist-alcohol-treatment-service-csats – 020 3227 4950

Foundation 66

Individual sessions with people under 23 who have concerns about alcohol use

www.phoenix-futures.org.uk/foundation-66

Help with drug use concerns 

Vital Information Pack

Lots of information about drugs, including what first aid you should give if a friend gets unwell after using drugs

drive.google.com/file/d/0B8aHo3-r-MQLX3lTdmVKcFFOVG8/view?usp=sharing

Drugs recognition & emergency first aid

This leaflet will help you if you're worried about a friend who might be using drugs, and show you how to help them in an emergency

drive.google.com/file/d/0B8aHo3-r-MQLRkZPcVZtcmFRYzg/view?usp=sharing

Talk to Frank

The National Drugs Helpline

www.talktofrank.com – 0300 123 6600 – Text 82111

London Friend Antidote

The UK’s only LGB&T run and targeted drug and alcohol support service

londonfriend.org.uk/get-support/drugsandalcohol – 020 7833 1674

South Camden Drugs Team

Individual and group sessions to help with alcohol and drugs issues

www.candi.nhs.uk/services/south-camden-drug-service– 020 7974 2915

Cannabis use in Hall

Residents in selected areas of the Hall will receive a printed copy of this letter, but it's shared here with everyone as a timely reminder about the potential health, welfare, disciplinary, and legal consequences of using drugs in Hall.

http://www.connaught-hall.org.uk/…/Cannabis-letter-2016.02.…

The last page contains links to sites providing information on alcohol and drug use disorder, with contact details for counselling and support services. Whilst my team and I do wish to provide direct support for you, these provide alternative avenues if you feel unable to contact anyone in Hall.

http://www.connaught-hall.org.uk/documents/Cannabis-letter-2016.02.pdf

FAQ: What can I do if I’m being disturbed by noise?

We have a whole web page with detailed instructions to help you deal with and report noise problems – whether it’s a banging radiator pipe or a neighbour playing music at 3am.

Visit noise.connaught-hall.org.uk for help.

Guidance for residents who have been the subject of noise complaints

If you have been the subject of more than one or two noise complaints, you should recently have received a letter from the Senior Member on your floor. The back of the letter includes some tips on how to avoid any more complaints from your neighbours.

We understand that most of the time when people disturb their neighbours in Hall, it is unintentional – and often those making noise do not realise how loud they are being, or how much the sound might be travelling and disturbing others. So we are trying to raise awareness and help everyone get on better together, in the hope that none of these problems will escalate into disciplinary matters.
This is especially important as we move towards more exams and coursework deadline over the coming months.

NOISE: EXPECTATIONS AND RULES

Noise disturbance generally creates the most dissatisfaction with Hall life, and is the commonest reason for disciplinary action. Connaught Hall is a large hall of residence of mostly first-year undergraduate students in a busy part of London. So we do not expect complete silence all the time. But we do expect that everyone will be sensitive to the needs of their neighbours for quiet time.

We should all be able to study or rest without unreasonable disturbance from others at any time. Residents — or their guests — who are unable to adhere to these guidelines will face disciplinary action and possible removal from the Hall.

You must make no noise audible from outside your room between 11.00 pm and 7.00 am.

Excessively loud music and other noise are not allowed at any time of day. The Warden or his nominated Deputy (normally the Duty Senior Member) shall be the arbiter of whether noise is excessive, and his/her decision shall be final.

If your neighbour asks you to be quieter, you must respond politely and cooperatively.

SOME TIPS TO HELP YOU GET ON WITH YOUR NEIGHBOURS

Most of us have at least eight immediate neighbours: one either side, three above, and three below. But when you’re thinking about noise, you should consider everyone on your section of corridor to be a neighbour, too.

Talk to one another

Respect others’ needs for quiet time: they may want to sleep or study at different times from you. Being unable to sleep or work when you need to can make you annoyed and stressed, and can seriously impact on your quality of life.

So agree on quiet times with your neighbours, and other times when it might be ok to make a bit more noise. You can only do this by asking them: “Am I too noisy sometimes? How can I make it better for you?”

Be polite and try to help if your neighbour knocks on your door and asks you to quieten down; next time it might be you asking for quiet!

Think carefully about how sound travels

Our walls, floors, and ceilings are quite thin and transmit sound readily. You don’t have to be having a huge party to be making too much noise.

It’s easy to cause noise for your neighbours without realising it, especially for anyone who lives underneath you: something dropping on the floor can make a really loud bang downstairs!

Please, whenever you are up after 11pm, think very carefully if what you are doing might be keeping your neighbour awake, especially if you have visitors in your room. 

Take your friends to a common room at night

If you have more than one visitor after 11pm, it’s best to go to one of the common rooms, so as to avoid disturbing anyone.

Be extra quiet when you’re in the corridors after 11pm

Noise travels further than you think, so talk quietly in corridors; and don’t run or shout in hallways or stairwells. One loud shriek or giggle could wake up everyone on the corridor.

Close doors quietly

Pull doors closed quietly and push the handle down so the lock doesn’t click, especially at night. Slamming doors (especially when you have several friends in your room, maybe going to and from the bathroom) are one of the commonest noise complaints.

Be quiet when you’re outside the building, too

In the garden, keep noise down at all times: even a little noise here echoes around the courtyard and can disturb people in rear-facing bedrooms.

Outside the front of the building, don’t shout late at night: you can wake up almost half the Hall whose bedrooms face onto the square.

How the Warden's time is used - February update

I can only say that my previous post did not have the desired effect, and an updated view of how I have been spending my time this term so far looks like this:

This is not what I enjoy about my role as Warden. Residents this year have not seen me working with them at social events and community building because all my time has been tied up with disciplinary issues. I am sorry this has been the case and once again, would like to ask everyone to help me. The Hall community as a whole this year could be getting much better value for money out of the service I can provide!

• Help me rebuild a positive Hall community. 

• Contribute to our events.

• Help us work out what activities you want organised in Hall, and work with us to organise them.

• Talk to your neighbours. Find out if there is anything you can do to make their time in Hall better. Have you been doing anything that annoyed them all last term? Tell them if you need their help with anything.

• Use our Hall bar. It's a valuable social space, but it won't survive without your custom and support. Don't drink your own alcohol in the bar, Bell room, or garden.

• Only smoke in the designated smoking area (in the garden), or on the pavement outside, well away from the main entrance.

• Keep quiet after 11pm.

• Don't go out onto balconies on the first floor.

• Be respectful of everyone around you. Remember our positive diversity message:

This is a safe space for everyone. Please join us in respecting and celebrating all our residents, staff, and guests, of every age, race, religion, sexuality, nationality, disability, and gender identity.

Finally, let me draw your attention to our goals & values statement. Help us work with you to deliver these for you.

We aim to provide a secure, supportive, and friendly environment in which our residents can study and socialise.

We hope that all our residents will call Connaught Hall “home”, and take many positive memories and good friends with them when they leave.

By encouraging our residents to participate in and contribute to the Hall community, we hope that they will learn to be self-directed and self-disciplined in their behaviour.
We aim to promote a spirit of neighbourliness and togetherness in our Hall community: an attitude that we can all take with us when we move on to other, wider neighbourhoods and communities. 

The needs of our residents, within the necessary limitations of good order, finance, and safety, take priority over other considerations at all times. 

We endeavour to help residents wherever we can. If we can reasonably say “yes” within the rules, we will not say “no”. 

We always strive to act fairly, honestly, and transparently. 

We deal with any problems sensitively and confidentially.

We do not tolerate personal harassment, nor discrimination against anyone because of their age, race, religion, national origin, gender, disability, or sexual orientation.

How the Warden's time is used in Hall - and how to improve your Hall experience in terms 2 & 3

There has been a significant change this year in how my time at Connaught Hall is spent. The graphic below is based on the amount of new correspondence in my email folders about different activities. It compares how much time I have spent on eight different areas of activity in term 1 of 2014-15, compared with the average year.

Discipline (investigation, meetings, disciplinary panels & hearings, appeals, letter writing, and fine administration) and responding to formal complaints have taken up much more of my time this year than is usual.

The amount of time have to spend on the Hall is fixed, so other activities lose out from this increase in complaints and disciplinary work. Some areas of activity are pretty fixed (like recruiting and training senior members, and attending central University meetings) so the two major things that I've had to cut this year are:

• service improvement projects. Facilities Committee, suggestion box, and responding to residents' routine enquiries; and
• Hall community & social life activities (organising & attending events, supporting the Residents' Club Committee).

Ultimately, you, the residents, pay for the service I provide for you in Hall, through your accommodation fees. I should much rather use my time to support you through difficult patches, improve the overall service we provide in Hall, and promote a positive, supportive, social community that everyone can benefit from, than trawl through one disciplinary case after another. I am usually a community leader here in Hall; this year, I feel like a policeman. I don't enjoy that relationship with our residents, and I am sure it is not the best use of your accommodation fees.

If you share my view that it's better for me to spend time on activities that benefit all our residents, rather than issuing fines, responding to complaints, and chairing disciplinary panels, I need your help!

• From the start of the new term in January, work with me and my team of Senior Members. We're here to help you make the most of your time in London and at Connaught Hall. We're not the "bad cops"! (Unless you decide that's what you want us to do with your fees.)

• Help me rebuild a positive Hall community. 

• Contribute to our events.

• Help us work out what activities you want organised in Hall, and work with us to organise them.

• Talk to your neighbours. Find out if there is anything you can do to make their time in Hall better. Have you been doing anything that annoyed them all last term? Tell them if you need their help with anything.

• Use our Hall bar. It's a valuable social space, but it won't survive without your custom and support. Don't drink your own alcohol in the bar, Bell room, or garden.

• Only smoke in the designated smoking area (in the garden), or on the pavement outside, well away from the main entrance.

• Keep quiet after 11pm.

• Don't go out onto balconies on the first floor.

• Be respectful of everyone around you. Remember our positive diversity message:

This is a safe space for everyone. Please join us in respecting and celebrating all our residents, staff, and guests, of every age, race, religion, sexuality, nationality, disability, and gender identity.

Finally, let me draw your attention to our goals & values statement. Help us work with you to deliver these for you.

We aim to provide a secure, supportive, and friendly environment in which our residents can study and socialise.

We hope that all our residents will call Connaught Hall “home”, and take many positive memories and good friends with them when they leave.
By encouraging our residents to participate in and contribute to the Hall community, we hope that they will learn to be self-directed and self-disciplined in their behaviour.

We aim to promote a spirit of neighbourliness and togetherness in our Hall community: an attitude that we can all take with us when we move on to other, wider neighbourhoods and communities. 

The needs of our residents, within the necessary limitations of good order, finance, and safety, take priority over other considerations at all times.
We endeavour to help residents wherever we can. If we can reasonably say “yes” within the rules, we will not say “no”.
We always strive to act fairly, honestly, and transparently.
We deal with any problems sensitively and confidentially.
We do not tolerate personal harassment, nor discrimination against anyone because of their age, race, religion, national origin, gender, disability, or sexual orientation.

Food theft from pantry fridges

Send us your ideas for tackling this problem to suggestions@connaught-hall.org.uk.

We are aware that theft of food from pantry fridges is a problem. It is selfish, ignorant, and childish to say the least. And enormously frustrating for those whose food is stolen. A very small minority of residents are responsible for this, I know, but I still find it quite extraordinary and very disappointing that adults at some of the best higher education institutions in the world engage in such petty theft.

Sometimes, your fellow residents keep food in the fridge because they are unwell and can only muster an appetite for certain foods, or because they have special dietary requirements. They might have to go hungry if someone else takes their food. And whatever the reason for having food in the refrigerators, it is really upsetting to find it stolen by someone else. So please only take food or drink from the fridge if you bought it.

This has been a problem every year, at least since I lived at Connaught Hall in the 90s as an undergraduate. I know from speaking with wardens in the other intercollegiate halls, as well as LSE, UCL, Imperial, and Kings halls, that it is just as much a problem elsewhere.

Some halls have combated this problem by having fridges with lockable compartments. But this only works when a kitchen is shared by 5-10 people, not 30-40 people. We cannot have lockable fridges here, as there isn't enough space on each floor for fridges to contain 40 compartments.

CCTV is not the answer. We have tried it before, and it was completely ineffective at both deterring and detecting thieves: the thefts continued, and we didn't catch anyone.

But you might have an amazing idea that will help us stop this very frustrating problem. If you do, write to us at suggestions@connaught-hall.org.uk.

Noise survey

I have received so many noise complaints recently that it's becoming difficult to track what exactly is a problem, where, and when. Please help by answering a few questions about noise in this survey:

https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/connaughtnoise

Even if noise is not a problem for you in Hall, please answer that one question to tell us that noise isn't a problem for you. It will take less than a minute if noise isn't a problem for you. Otherwise we'll have very skewed results only from people who find noise a problem.

Remember we have published guidance on how to deal with noise problems, as well as some tips on how to make sure you are not the subject of a noise complaint. Visit this page for more:

http://noise.connaught-hall.org.uk

Discipline in Hall - survey feedback

82 per cent of respondents to our survey last week were either satisfied (29 per cent) or very satisfied (53 per cent) with the rules and enforcement of discipline at Connaught Hall. Of those who wrote comments, eight people said we have got things about right; seven people said we are too strict; and three people said we should be more strict (mentioning noise and smoking problems).

I have some perspective to add to this. In the first eight weeks of this first term of 2014-15, I have chaired more disciplinary meetings than I did in the whole of the last academic year. I do not yet understand why we are facing so many disciplinary issues this year.

So far this year, I have dealt with 21 disciplinary cases in eight weeks. That is extraordinary. I have never started a year like this before.

Discipline isn't why I do this job. No one enjoys the experience of a disciplinary interview - on either side of the table. And it's time-consuming. I should much rather spend my limited "Warden" time providing welfare support, promoting wellness initiatives, organising events, working with your elected Residents' Club Committee, and improving the social and community aspects of our Hall. 

But sadly, this year, I am spending nearly all my time on disciplinary investigations, letters, meetings, and administration of fines, etc. That detracts from the service I can provide to everyone else.

In general, I dislike financial penalties. In contrast to what happens in many other halls of residence, my practice has always been to arrange a face-to-face meeting with anyone who is alleged to have done anything more than the most minor infringement of the rules. That way, I can help people understand what the rules are and why we have them, give them a chance to explain themselves, and usually avoid imposing a fine. But I cannot keep this practice up this year, with so many relatively serious cases of misconduct. 

So it is with regret that I am implementing a policy of summary penalties for the following offences, with effect from midnight tonight (13 November 2014). If a senior member or staff member personally witnesses one of these offences, the penalty will automatically be applied in writing, without a disciplinary meeting being convened.

Offence	1st incident	2nd incident	3rd incident
Covering a smoke detector	£100 fine and final warning	Expulsion from the Hall	N/A
Smoking inside the building	£50 fine and written warning	£100 fine and final warning	Expulsion from the Hall
Smoking in other prohibited area	£25 fine and written warning	£50 fine and second written warning	£100 fine and final warning
Access to first-floor balcony	£75 fine and written warning	£150 fine and final written warning	Expulsion from the Hall
Access to other roof or ledge on the Hall exterior	£100 fine and final warning	Expulsion from the Hall	N/A
Having an open container of alcohol not bought from the bar inside the bar, Bell room, or garden when the bar is open	£25 fine and written warning	£50 fine and second written warning	£100 fine and final warning

You will note these are all offences that are very clear-cut: either you were seen doing it or you were not. Other complaints, like noise, bullying, and harassment are more subjective and I will continue to meet with people who are alleged to have broken those rules. We have to be fair, so if you receive a fine under this policy and you dispute the material facts of what happened, you will be able to request a meeting with me. If you are still unhappy with the penalty, then you have a right of appeal as set out in the Student Disciplinary Procedure: http://www.connaught-hall.org.uk/documents/Handbooks/Intercollegiate-Halls-Student-Disciplinary-Procedure-2014.pdf.

My primary hope is that this policy will act as a deterrent so that I do not issue even one fine under this scheme. But at worst, it will reduce the amount of time I spend on disciplinary matters, so I can concentrate on improving other aspects of your experience in Hall.

In addition to this policy of automatic fines, we are upgrading the signage around the building that tell you where smoking is allowed / prohibited, reminds you not to go onto the balconies, and other pointers to help ensure no one breaks the rules out of ignorance of what the rules actually are. 

The best outcome would be that we get to the end of the academic year without any of these fines being issued. You can help me: make sure you know what the rules are, observe them yourself, and if you see your friends doing something they shouldn't, tell them to stop it. I should much prefer that the Hall community police itself and that I never have to invoke the Student Disciplinary Procedure for anyone.

Quick survey results

Thank you to everyone who answered our quick survey last week. 76 residents responded - so that's a response rate of 33%.

The results of the satisfaction scales are below.

We will carefully be going through all your written comments over the next week or so. Those of you who requested that we write back to you about your comments should expect to hear from us within 14 days - and probably much sooner.

We will update everyone with the action that we take based on your feedback in this survey.

Remember, you can always write to us with your ideas, suggestions, compliments, and complaints at suggestions@connaught-hall.org.uk.

Or if you want to write to us anonymously, you can text the Warden at 07 907 753 894. Please note this phone is not monitored 24/7, so do not use this number for emergencies. The response time is similar to our target email response time (72 hours). If you need to contact someone in an emergency, call reception and ask for the person on duty.

Fire 4th June 2014

Those of us who were in the Hall at 2 o'clock this morning were awoken by the fire alarm.

(If you were in but did not evacuate / did not hear the alarm, please see this post as well: http://connaughthall.blogspot.co.uk/2014/06/did-you-not-hear-fire-alarm.html).

There was a real fire inside the third-floor ladies' bathroom. The fire brigade attended and made the area safe within about an hour and a quarter, so that by 3:30 everyone was allowed back into their rooms. We did have some rooms available to move residents into if their own rooms (on the third and fourth floors) were too smoky to spend the night in.

The evacuation at 2 am was calm and efficient. Everyone was very patient, waiting until the fire brigade allowed us back inside. I want to thank everyone who was here - staff but even more so, residents - for the way you conducted yourselves during the emergency.

I can confirm that nobody was injured last night.

There is significant damage to the affected bathroom, which will require a complete refurbishment. The electrics were also damaged but we were fortunately able to isolate the bathroom circuit without losing power to anybody's bedrooms.

Now we need to work out exactly what happened. The fire brigade believe there are suspicious circumstances around how the fire started - that this was either a deliberately started fire, or at the very least, that someone was doing something they shouldn't have been doing in the bathroom that could have led to an accidental fire.

If you know anything about how the fire started last night, please come and talk to me in confidence. If you think you might have done something that could have accidentally caused this fire, please come and speak with me urgently, before this becomes a full criminal (police) and internal (disciplinary) investigation.

I will be in my office on the ground floor today (Wednesday):

• 3:00 to 3:30 pm
• 7:30 to 8:00 pm

Or feedback to a senior member if you don't feel you can approach me directly.

We do already have a number of leads to follow-up, and we are being assisted by the Metropolitan Police and the London Fire Brigade Fire Investigation Unit. So any more detail to flesh out those little bones of information will be welcomed, even if you are unsure whether or not what you saw or heard was significant.

I also will take this opportunity to remind everyone of the correct action to take if you suspect there is a fire. At least four people were talking about a lot of smoke coming from the bathroom before a senior member went to investigate and set off the alarm.

If ever you suspect there is a fire in Hall, please break the glass on a red fire alarm point to start the evacuation. Every minute that a fire continues to burn without us getting people out of the building places people in greater danger from smoke and fire.

Access to the roof at Connaught Hall

Residents should please be reminded of the following provision in the Connaught Hall Residents’ Handbook.

15.6 Access to roof, etc

It is strictly forbidden – and extremely dangerous – for residents or their guests to gain access to, or attempt to gain access to, the roof of the main building, the roof of the dining hall, or any ledges or parapets on the Hall exterior, including first-floor balconies.

Breach of these rules will constitute serious misconduct as defined in the Licence Agreement. Sanctions may include expulsion or a fine of up to £250.

Climbing on the roof is obviously very dangerous. Footsteps on the roof are also disturbing for residents trying to study or sleep in rooms on the fourth floor.

I will not give any further warnings on this matter. From today, anyone who is reported to me as being found on the roof will be removed from the Hall on 48 hours’ notice for his/her own safety. 

Help with alcohol & drug use concerns

Several recent incidents in the halls have provided harsh reminders of the serious and immediate risk to health and life that "recreational" drugs - including new psychoactive substances and herbal or "legal highs" - and/or excessive use of alcohol can pose to otherwise fit and well students. And of course there is also a good body of evidence showing the longer-term physical and mental health risks of regular use. So we are writing to remind you about the help that is available to safeguard you from alcohol- and drug-related harm.

Whilst the possession or use of illegal drugs is a disciplinary offence, our primary concern will always be for your safety and wellbeing. If you genuinely seek our help because you are worried about your use of alcohol or drugs, we will approach your concerns confidentially and non-judgmentally. We will seek to provide you with the support you need. If you are willing to accept professional help, in most cases we will not pursue disciplinary action. 

Similarly, if you are concerned about a friend's use of alcohol or drugs in the hall, you can tell us in confidence, without fear that you will get your friend in trouble. Telling us your concerns about a friend's use of alcohol or drugs could be the thing that saves their life. Please don't stand by and do nothing. 

Most importantly, if you or a friend become unwell after taking drugs, please get medical help (call 999 for an ambulance) and inform the front-desk security immediately. In a medical emergency our concern is always to ensure that the paramedics and doctors treating you know exactly what has happened and why, so please tell us the whole story. Your health and wellbeing always come first. 

So if you are concerned about any matter relating to alcohol or drug use in hall - your own or someone else's - make an appointment to speak in confidence with your Warden. 

English law places some requirements on us that mean we must use the disciplinary procedure in certain circumstances. These are: 

     1. If there is any evidence that a resident is supplying drugs to others. 

     2. If smoking drugs such as cannabis inside the Hall is causing a breach of the Health Act 2010. 

     3. If the use of drugs in the Hall causes risk to the safety of other residents, staff, or the public.


We will also use the disciplinary procedure if we find evidence of illegal drug use in your room but neither you nor a friend has come forward seeking help. It is too late to ask for our help after we have found evidence of drug use.

Links to sites providing information on alcohol and drug use disorder are provided below, with contact details for counselling and support services. Whilst we do wish to provide direct support these hopefully provide alternative avenues if you feel unable to contact anyone in hall. Whether hall staff or alternative support provision, please do seek professional help and do gain understanding of the risks you face.

EXTERNAL SOURCES OF HELP & ADVICE
Help with alcohol use concerns
DRINKAWARE: Sensible drinking tips & help with alcohol problems - www.drinkaware.co.uk 

DRINK SMARTER: Sensible drinking tips & help with alcohol problems - www.drinksmarter.org/drinkline - 0800 7 314 314 

CAMDEN ALCOHOL SERVICE: Individual and group counselling sessions and advice on alcohol related problems - http://bit.ly/XHnhCv - 020 3227 4950 

FOUNDATION 66: Individual sessions with people under 23 who have concerns about alcohol use - http://bit.ly/UspAf3  


Help with drug use concerns
VITAL INFORMATION PACK: Lots of information about drugs, including what first aid you should give if a friend gets unwell after using drugs - http://bit.ly/1cd2oYb  

DRUGS RECOGNITION & EMERGENCY FIRST AID: This leaflet will help you if you're worried about a friend who might be using drugs, and show you how to help them in an emergency - http://bit.ly/OpCfAq

TALK TO FRANK: The National Drugs Helpline - www.talktofrank.com - 0300 123 6600 - Text 82111

DRUGSLINE: Support, counselling and information about drugs - www.drugsline.org - 0808 1 606 606

LONDON FRIEND ANTIDOTE: The UK’s only LGB&T run and targeted drug and alcohol support service - http://bit.ly/WZwFlN - 020 7833 1674 

CAMDEN DRUGS & ALCOHOL ACTION TEAM: Individual and group sessions to help with alcohol and drugs issues - http://bit.ly/1bYrTlx - 020 7974 2915