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Want to share your ideas and feedback? Leave them here with us. Have Your Say Your voice counts! We want to know what you think. Your ideas help us make our services more visible and better for young people like you. Here is a video about how you can get involved: Participation Video Play Video Facebook Twitter Pinterest Tumblr Copy Link Link Copied Ways You Can Get Involved Be on the Interview Panel When we hire new staff, young people from our service help us choose who gets the job! If you want to be part of an interview panel and have your say, just ask your worker how to get involved. Share Your Thoughts in Surveys Throughout the year, you’ll get the chance to share your opinions in short surveys. Your worker will help you fill them out, and your feedback helps us make things better for everyone. Join an Advisory Group Want to help shape how our services work? Join one of our advisory groups! You’ll help come up with new ideas and share what you think about how we do things. Make a Difference in Norfolk Take part in special participation days run by Norfolk County Council. You’ll meet other young people, share your views, and help make real changes across the county. Anonymous Feedback We believe young people should be at the heart of shaping our service. Your thoughts, ideas, and feedback help us grow and make things better for everyone. We want to make sure you feel listened to and involved in the decisions that affect you. Whether things are going well or could be improved, we’re here to hear what you think. You can share your feedback with your worker, or get in touch through our Live Chat or Anonymous Feedback Form - whatever feels right for you. Anonymous Feedback Form Send Thanks for submitting! Participation Strategy This is our Participation Strategy - a guide that explains what participation means to us, the values we follow, why it’s important, where it happens, and the model we use to make it all work.

Contains information on our safety, privacy and safeguarding policies along with how we handle confidentiality. Privacy & Safety Info Confidentiality Worried about speaking with us? We get it - talking about topics that may be personal to you such as drugs or alcohol can feel risky. We’re here to help, not get you in trouble. What you tell us stays private, unless we believe you or someone else is at serious risk of harm, or a serious crime is involved. Your worker at The Matthew Project will explain this to you when you first meet with them. Examples of where we may need to share information: Someone is being abused. There is a serious threat to your life or safety. Examples of where we wouldn’t need to share information: You’ve been using drugs or alcohol. You’re worried about how substance use is affecting you. Contacting us When you contact us, we will listen without judging and explain our confidentiality policy. We may ask you questions so we can explore your needs and provide you with the best support. Any information we record will be confidential and stored securely. We will only share information about you when we think that you or someone else is at significant risk of harm. You can see our Online Safety Policy here , and our Safeguarding Policy here . When you contact us the information we collect from you will depend on why you have contacted us, what you are comfortable sharing and what action you would like us to take. Advice line call information will be stored securely, detailing the date/time of the call and the reason for the call. We will not keep your name or contact details unless you have asked us to contact you back. We will only keep data for as long as is necessary. Privacy We take your privacy very seriously. Before you start chatting with us, we will ask you to read our information, so you understand what this means for you and when we may have to share your information. If you follow any links to any other website, you will no longer be subject to our privacy terms. What is Data Protection? The Data Protection Law is in place to make sure that we use your personal data lawfully and keep it safe. If you have any questions relating to GDPR/Data protection, please email dataprotection@matthewproject.org . You can see our Data Protection Procedure for more information. You can see our Privacy Policy here . Consent By starting a Chat, you will be consenting to us having information about you. You can withdraw your consent at any point by telling the worker, or by emailing us at unity@matthewproject.org What Information we collect and who will see it. We use your information to provide you with the support you have requested. There may be times where sharing information is helpful, for example, if we have serious concern for your safety or the safety of someone else. When you use our Online Chat, we will save your IP address and details about why you have contacted us. We will keep a Transcript (a written record) of conversations between you and our workers. Your full information will only be seen by our staff unless we have a serious concern for your safety or the safety of others. Anonymised data collected from our Online Chat or website may be used to provide statistical data for our funders. No personal details will be shared. Keeping your Information Safe We do all we can to keep the information we hold about you safe, please read our Privacy Notice. We use other companies to provide services for us, we ensure that these providers meet all legal requirements in line with GDPR guidance Data protection laws. Our website is provided by WIX https://support.wix.com/en/article/wixs-privacy-policy who process all the data collected from people who visit our website, including our ‘Contact us’ forms. Comms 100 provide our Online Chat https://www.comm100.com/platform/security/ Chat transcripts will stored securely and kept by us for a period of three months, they will then be automatically deleted. If there are safeguarding concerns in a chat transcript, these will be kept in a separate folder of the Unity chat email inbox for 12 months. Any safeguarding concerns will be shared with our safeguarding Managers and may be shared with other services if required. They will automatically be deleted after 12 months unless they are part of an ongoing investigation. If you are already accessing support from Unity and you would like your chat to be saved to your record, or a message passed to your worker, we may need to ask you a few questions to confirm your identity. Your Rights - Right of Access/What to do if your Info is Wrong You have the right to ask for a copy of the information we hold about you. If you want to access your information, send a description of the information you want to see and proof of your identity by post to The Matthew Project, 70-80 Oak Street, Norwich NR3 3AQ. We do not accept these requests by email, so we can ensure that we only provide personal information to the right person. If any if this information is wrong, let us know and we will correct it. If you have any questions, please contact our Support Team on 01603 626123 or enquiries@matthewproject.org. Essential Cookies Like most websites, we may use ‘cookies’ to help us make our site, and the way you use it, better. Cookies are small text files that sites transfer to your device (computer, phone or tablet) and make interacting with a website faster and easier. You may disable these by changing your browser settings, but this may affect how the website functions.

Information Collecting and Sharing This information on this page is about the information we collect and who has access to your data. We ask you for information so that you can recieve proper care and threatment We keep your information, together with details of your care, because it may be needed if we see you again. What NDTMS is and does: NDTMS is the National Drug and Alcohol Treatment Monitoring System (NDTMS). It is used by PHE to collect information about drug and alcohol treatment in England. If you consent, your treatment service will share some of your treatment information with NDTMS.

See frequently asked questions about our service and what we do. Frequently Asked Questions How do I get support for someone I know/myself? Anyone can get in touch with us to make a referral. This could be a parent, carer or professional or you. If you want to refer yourself or someone you know, you can do this by going to our contact us page to chat with a member of the team in the most accessible way for you. Contact Us What happens when I get referred? We will contact you, or the person referring you and arrange to come and meet, in a place you feel comfortable. What happens if I change my mind? Just let us, or the person who referred you know. Our support is totally voluntary. We understand that people change their minds. You are always welcome to come back. Will you tell other people what I have said? We offer a confidential service. Confidentiality means us not telling anyone else about the things you tell us, we will talk to you about who you are comfortable with us talking to. Sometimes your parents, carers or teachers may be aware that you have been referred to us, particularly if you chose to see us at your school or home, this does not mean we will tell them everything that you tell us, we will discuss this with you and agree what information YOU feel comfortable sharing. If there’s a risk of very serious harm to you, or someone else, we may need to share some of what you have told us, we will try and talk to you and let you know what might happen next. Will you tell me to stop using drugs/alcohol? No we understand this is your choice and people use substances for a variety of reasons. We are not here to judge you, or tell you what to do, we will support you to decide what you want from the support. Do you have to tell my parents that I am working with you? If you are over 13 and we feel you understand what it means to get support from us, we do not need to tell your parents that we are supporting you. If you are under 13, we do need to get consent from your parent or carer to be able to offer you support. This doesn’t mean we will tell them what we talk about with you. Will I get into trouble? We will not share the information you tell us unless we are extremely worried for your safety, our aim would be to keep you safe not for you to get into trouble. How long can you work with people? For the YouCan and Unity service. Our support is not time limited we can continue to support you for as long as you feel you need the support. We can see you weekly, fortnightly, or monthly, depending on what works best for you. For On Track, there are sometimes time limits depending on the service. Contact On Track's for more details. Is there a waiting list? We do have at times a waiting list but we will be in contact within 2 weeks and will always keep you updated of when a meeting will be booked. Can I see you in school? Yes we can come and meet you in a place you feel comfortable this could be at home, school, college, wherever you feel comfortable. Can I talk to you about other stuff? Yes we understand that drug or alcohol issues can be one of the issues you are facing, we will complete an assessment with you that will look at what other support may be useful, this could include mental and physical health, housing, education and relationship advice. Will there be a change in worker? We try not to change your worker, we know it can be difficult when one of our workers leave, if we have to change you to a new worker, we will ask you what kind of person you would feel most comfortable with and try and match you with one of our workers. Can I bring someone with me? Yes we understand it can be a big step meeting someone new. My parents/carers don't drive, how do I get to you? We come to you! We can meet you in a location you feel comfortable such as school and for our holiday activities we can arrange transport so you can attend.

What you should know about Alcohol This page explains how alcohol can affect your body and share tips for having a safer night out. Young people helped create this page, working alongside the Unity service . Therefore, the stories featured relate specifically to Norfolk. ⚠️ Dangers of Mixing ⚠️ Combining alcohol with other drugs can worsen their harmful effects and increase the risk of overdose. When mixed with other substances it will affect your judgement, leading to risk taking and can cause harm to your developing brain and body. Alcohol and the Brain Alcohol is a depressant - not because it can make you cry, but because it slows your brain down. Messages between your brain and body start travelling in slow motion. That’s why your balance, coordination, and general “acting normal” skills can be affected. Alcohol reaches your brain in about 5–10 minutes after your first sip and can make you feel relaxed or euphoric at first ( due to dopamine release) but if you drink too much , or too often it can also affect your mood and behaviour , causing depression, anxiety, or aggression. Memory (Hippocampus) It also interferes with the hippocampus, the brain’s memory centre. That’s what causes blackouts or difficulty remembering things after drinking. Decision Making (Frontal Lobe) The first part of your brain alcohol hits is the frontal lobe (the decision-making part of your brain), that’s why you might feel extra confident and chatty. Basically, alcohol makes risky choices feel easier. Movement and Balance (Cerebellum) Alcohol affects the Cerebellum, which controls movement, balance, and coordination. This is why people may stumble on or slur their words. Brainstem (breathing and heartrate) The brainstem controls vital functions like breathing, heart rate, blood pressure, swallowing and consciousness. If you drink too much, your brain can slow so much that it forgets to tell your body to breathe, and your gag reflex can stop working so if you vomit, you can’t cough or clear your airway . This is like drowning in your own vomit , which is why alcohol poisoning is so dangerous. Hover over the boxes below to see more details. Impact on the Teenage Brain The brain continues to develop into a person's mid-20s , with a critical period occurring during adolescence (a period of rapid brain development). Alcohol is a neurotoxin that can interfere with this process and alter the way the brain is wired , potentially causing long-lasting changes in brain structure and function: Alcohol can interfere with the development of the frontal lobe , which is crucial for impulse control, planning, and judgement. GABA When you drink alcohol , it increases the activity of GABA (gamma-aminobutyric acid) a neurotransmitter that slows down brain activity. This can depress your brainstem - that’s the bit in charge of keeping you alive by keeping your heart beating and your lungs breathing without you having to think about it! Alcohol doesn’t create GABA; it just makes its effects stronger, like turning up your brain’s “relax mode.” When this happens, your thinking, movement, and reflexes slow down . Risks of using Alcohol Hover over the photos below, to see the risks of Alcohol. Physical Raises heart rate and blood pressure, straining the heart. Weakens memory, immunity, and nutrient absorption, increasing illness risk. Disrupts deep and REM sleep, causing fatigue and poor concentration. Agitation Feeling Disconnected or Psychotic Symptoms Low Mood or Depression Panic Attacks Memory Problems Social Lowers inhibitions and impairs judgment, causing arguments, misunderstandings, or risky behaviour. Long-term heavy drinking can damage health and strain relationships. Frequent drinking can cause mood swings, anxiety, and irritability. Can worsen depression and anxiety and may create a cycle of emotional dependence. Emotional Safer Night Out - Stay Safe Tips For You and Your Mates Planning a night out? Here are some helpful tips to help you stay safe and enjoy yourself. Press the arrow on the slideshow to see information for before, during, and after your night out. Before a Night Out Set a limit. Excessive drinking harms your health, relationships, and sexual safety. It can also lead to poor decisions, aggression, and memory loss. Setting a limit helps you stay in control. Keeping within your limit reduces the chance of injuries and dangerous situations caused by intoxication. Stay hydrated. Alcohol is a diuretic - it makes your body lose water through increased urination. This leads to dehydration, which causes thirst, headaches, and hangovers. Charge your phone before heading out, and bring a portable charger if you can. In case you need to call anyone in an emergency or to get a lift home Eat a proper meal. Eating foods rich in protein, fat, and carbohydrates slows the absorption of alcohol, reducing how quickly you get drunk. This helps prevent a sudden spike in blood alcohol levels and protects the stomach lining from irritation. Sort your journey home in advance. Whether it’s public transport, a trusted taxi, or a designated sober driver. Young People's Stories Watch young people from our Unity service share their real stories and perspectives on alcohol - honest and straight from their experience. Alcohol Webpage Video Play Video Facebook Twitter Pinterest Tumblr Copy Link Link Copied Young person - 1 I started using alcohol because it was accessible. I knew it wouldn’t necessarily help, but at the time it felt like it would. At first, it was really good, but then I ended up in hospital and that’s when I realised things were starting to get worse. That’s also when I started working with the Matthew Project. It definitely made my mental health worse, because I noticed that whenever something was wrong, I used more and it didn’t help. The moment I realised I needed support was when I ended up in hospital after a drinking binge. The Matthew Project helped me in multiple ways: harm reduction and just nice having someone decent to talk to. My advice to someone else struggling would be: talk to someone and try to understand what you’re doing and why. Things for me now… I haven’t drunk any alcohol for about a month - that was the thing I was most worried about. I talk to my mum more about things now, and I think she worries less. I don’t go to CAMHS anymore because I feel I cope better, but I know to go back if things ever get worse. Video Prefer watching instead of reading? Check out this short video about Alcohol to see how it affects people and get the facts you need. Alcohol - Respect Your Brain Play Video Facebook Twitter Pinterest Tumblr Copy Link Link Copied About The Matthew Project If you’re under 19 and using ketamine or other substances, our Unity service is here to support you. You won’t get in trouble for reaching out. Click the button below to learn more about the Unity service. If you are 19 or over, you will need to contact Change Grow Live. Unity Service

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Summer At Home Activities We’re offering activity packs that children and young people can complete at home. There are six different packs available, and you can choose up to two! Pack options include: Baking Pack, Self-Care Pack, Art Pack, Positivity Pack, Growing Pack and Bug Hunting Pack. Click the button below to choose your packs! We’d love to see what you create! Send a photo of your finished project to josie.wood@matthewproject.org to be entered into a prize draw. We’ll be sharing creations on this webpage, so you can also check out what other young people have been making! Important: Please don’t include your face in the photo, this helps protect your identity, as the webpage is open to everyone. Booking Form for Packs Baking Pack Self Care Pack Art Pack Positivity Pack Growing Pack Bug Hunting Pack Baking Pack Self Care Pack Art Pack Show More

We can be contacted Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm. The only exclusion to this is our live chat which runs Monday to Thursday, 4pm to 7pm. Our Number: 0800 970 4866 Our Email: Unity@matthewproject.org Contact Info Say Hello We will only ask for information you are happy to share but if you would like to be referred we will need to ask extra. Phone YouCan - 0800 970 4866 Unity - 0800 970 4866 On Track - 01603 723845 Email youcan@matthewproject.org unity@matthewproject.org contact@ontracknorfolk.org Social Media Name Phone Email Message Send Thanks for submitting! Live Chat Live chat currently runs from: Monday to Thursday, 4 pm to 7pm (excluding the 27th and 28th of December, where it will be 9am - 5pm) and is for 13yrs or older only. If you are under 13 and would like to talk to someone, please contact Childline on 0800 11 11. If you are over 19, please contact CGL on 01603 514 096. The Live Chat does not run on Bank Holidays. To access the live chat, click on the orange circle on the bottom right-hand side of your screen. This is a confidential service for young people with issues or questions around drugs and alcohol. This is not a crisis helpline. If you require urgent help, please call Childline on the number above or 999. This chat is with real human beings, not an AI or a bot. Visit Us We know it can be daunting going to a new place for the first time and meeting one of our team. This is why we cover all of norfolk and can travel to meet you in a location you feel comfortable in. While we welcome people to visit our centre, we ask that you contact us ahead of time so we can make sure there is a member of our team available to meet you. Address 70 - 80 Oak Street, Norwich, Norfolk, NR3 3AQ Opening Hours Mon - Thu Fri 9:00 am – 5:00 pm 9:00 am – 4:30 pm This is our reception!

We want you to feel safe and be able to talk openly about things when you meet with your worker. Is it safe to talk? Confidentiality We want you to feel safe and be able to talk openly about things when you meet with your worker! You have a right to a confidential service and to disagree with us. It is important for you to know that we do not share the information you give us unless we have your permission. In very exceptional circumstances we may have to disclose information. This means we will only pass on information if we believe there is a risk of you or someone else suffering serious harm or a serious crime is planned or has been committed. Data Protection Everyone who sees a Matthew Project worker for support will have information about them held on our computer system. How do you keep the information about me safe? Your file is password protected with additional security features. Your file might contain sensitive and personal information including details of the work we do with you. If we fill in anything on paper, this will be scanned onto a computer and shredded. What will be put in my file? It will contain the things you tell us about yourself and may have information that other people tell us about you, such as forms filled in by other professionals (e.g. school, children services). We only record relevant information. Why do you do this? We record information so that staff can make good decisions about the kind of support we offer you and to make sure you get all of the help you need. We also need to be able to explain and prove that we have been working well with you. Who sees the information? Matthew Project staff can see the information about you. They will only look at it if they are working with you or your family. Can I see the information you have about me? Yes, you have the right to ask us for copies of your personal data. If you want to access your information, you can do this face-to-face, by email, on the telephone or by letter. We will respond within one month. The Data Protection Law is in place to ensure we use your personal data lawfully and keep it safe. For more information, please visit - matthewprojectyoungpeople.org/privacy-info Sharing Info With your permission, we will collect information for local and national statistics for our funders and to help plan our services. We will only use your personal information with your consent and only for the purposes it was collected for. We will keep personal information confidential and will not disclose it to any third party without your consent, unless we are obliged to do so by law, or it is necessary due to your or someone else’s safety. We will always try to talk with you before sharing this information although this may not always be possible or appropriate. Compliments and Complaints If you would like to make any comments about The Matthew Project or tell us about something we have done well, please contact us. We hope to give you the best service possible but sometimes problems may arise. We aim to deal with your compliant in a way which will put things right and stop problems from being avoided or covered up. If you complain it will not be held against you in the future. You will be listened to and your complaint will be confidential. We will try and deal with complaints on an informal basis by chatting through the problem. You can call your worker or another staff member by phoning 0800 970 4866. If this does not resolve the problem/issue, or is not suitable you can make a formal complaint. Making a Formal Complaint You will be asked to write your complaint down in an email, someone can help you with the writing if you want. You must complain within 3 months of the problem happening. We will explain to you how we will follow up your compliant.

Information to help parents and careres who have a child struggling with drugs/alcohol or is affected by family use. Parents/Carers Info A little about us We are a Norfolk charity that provide a free confidential service to young people up to 19. These young people can be using substances themselves (we refer to this as Substance Misuse) or that have a parent, carer or sibling thats using substances that could be affecting them (we refer to this as Affected Other). Worried your child is an Affected Other? If your worried that your own, a relatives or other childs substance use could be affecting one of your children, we can support them. Support Worried about your child's drug/alcohol use? If you're struggling with a young person's substance use, we're here to help. You are not alone - drugs and alcohol can impact the entire family. Support Support for you We can provide support to parents who are worried about their child's substance misuse. This can include virtual group sessions, focusing on the exploration of family dynamics, boundaries, consequences and the development of support networks. The Matthew Project run a parent/carer support group which runs monthly and provides a chance to meet other parents of under 19's who are experiencing similar difficulties. The groups aims are to help deal with the worries and stresses faced while providing strategies to help you to cope and deal with the challenges that often arise. The parent support group takes place 19:00 - 21:00 at 70 - 80 Oak St, Norwich, NR3 3AQ. Booking is essential. The referral form for the parent/carer group is below. For more information, please email: unity@matthewproject.org Referral Form Parent FAQ's Further Tips & Advice Contact Us The Matthew Project supports adults in addiction recovery through structured programs, skills training, therapeutic group sessions, and one-to-one support. The Matthew Project Change Grow Live (CGL) offer support for adults affected by someone else’s substance use and supports adults who are struggling with their own substance misuse. CGL's Website “When shut out of your son’s life, and all doors seemed closed, The Matthew Project opened theirs. A big thank you. As a parent I was desperate, how must my son feel?” Anonymous Parent/Carer

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