Training aimed at preventing substance abuse among frontline workers is set to expand throughout Europe following the signing of a Cooperation Agreement today by the European Union Drugs Agency (EUDA) and HOGENT University’s Research Centre for Substance Use and Psychosocial Risk Behaviours. This 10-year agreement is being formalized in Ghent by EUDA Executive Director Alexis Goosdeel and HOGENT General Director Koen Goethals.
The focus of the agreement is to roll out training materials developed under the EU-funded Frontline Politeia Project, which has been running from January 2022 to December 2023 and is coordinated by HOGENT.
As part of this project, a training course specifically for frontline personnel such as teachers, police officers, and street workers has been developed and tested. This program, named ‘EUPC-Frontline Training’, is based on the European Prevention Curriculum (EUPC) and consists of various modules tailored to different prevention contexts.
Employing a blended learning approach, the EUPC-Frontline Training combines online resources with in-person sessions. It builds on earlier EU-funded initiatives that focused on training decision-makers and policymakers.
With this agreement, EUDA is authorized and mandated to disseminate and implement the EUPC-Frontline Training across Europe and partner countries via its e-learning platform PLATO, while also giving project partners complimentary access to PLATO.
Training for frontline staff, in coordination with decision-makers, is essential for prioritizing evidence-based interventions and phasing out outdated practices. This agreement represents a key advancement in enhancing prevention strategies for public health workers across Europe.