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The Matthew Project is a Norfolk charity offering free, confidential support for young people dealing with issues around drugs, alcohol, or family substance use. Our services include YouCan (help for under-19s affected by a family member’s substance use), Unity (support for under-19s impacted by personal or others' substance use), and On Track (guidance for 13-24s facing barriers to education or employment). Supporting Young People Across Norfolk Find the right support for you Our Young People Services Take a look at our three services and see which one could help you. Read More YouCan If you’re worried about a family member or relative using drugs or alcohol, use the button below to see how we can help. This service is for: Aged under 19 Living in Norfolk Impacted by family/relative drug/alcohol use Read More Unity If you're worried that your own drug or alcohol use is having a significant impact on you or others, click the button below to see how we can help. This service is for: Aged under 19 Living in Norfolk Wanting to stop or reduce their drug or alcohol use Read More On Track If you’re facing barriers that make it difficult to find or stay in education or employment, use the button below to see how we can help. This service is for: Aged 13–24 Living in Norfolk At risk of, or not currently in, education or employment Accessibility We’re here to make every young person feel welcome and supported. Whether you meet us in person or online, we aim to make accessing our services straightforward. Click the button below to find out more. Accessibility Support What's New Our latest news, events, and updates. New Substance Info Pages for Young People The Flourish Survey 2024 revealed a statistic that almost 1 in 5 young people in Norfolk said they have no one or nowhere to get information about alcohol use. At The Matthew Project, we wanted to help change that. With the input of young people, we’ve developed five brand-new substance information pages on our website designed specifically for young people who want clear, honest, and reliable information. These pages cover: Real stories from young people we support Har On Track Highlights - April & May The last couple of months have been packed with activities, learning opportunities and fun experiences for the young people involved with On Track. From employability workshops to outdoor adventures, it’s been fantastic to see young people building confidence, developing new skills and connecting with others in a supportive environment. Safe SPACE Arts & Crafts Session - 16th April We started with a creative arts and crafts session for our Safe SPACE group. Six young people a At Home Activities We know that not every child and young person feels ready to attend group activities or connect face-to-face with others who have lived experience. For some, taking part in activities from the comfort and safety of home can feel like a much more manageable first step. That’s why, last year over the summer holidays, our YouCan service launched a series of At Home Activity Packs designed to help children and young people stay engaged, creative, and connected during the school b Ketamine: A Young Person’s Story Here is a real story from a young person within our service, sharing their experience with ketamine. Their journey highlights how use can develop over time and the impact it can have on wellbeing, relationships, and everyday life. At The Matthew Project , we support young people at all stages of their journey, offering a safe, non-judgemental space to talk openly and explore the changes they want to make. By sharing this story, we hope to raise awareness and help others recog 1 2 3 4 5 Your Stories Read real stories from young people like you. YouCan Service "The Matthew Project and all of the workers there have helped me over the years so much and i wouldn't have been able to cope with certain situations without their support. I have always felt comfortable and listened to." "They listen and give you good feedback and don't try to pretend that things are ok but actually have a human conversation and you feel like you're actually being listened to." "I feel like i understand how it affects me. She made me realise how well I can cope with it and if needed I can message her. Now I feel comfortable with talking to my dad about his alcohol abuse knowing my worker has comforted me with it and given me advice on how to deal with the affect it has on me." Have Your Say Your thoughts and ideas help us make our services better and easier to access for young people. Click the button below to find out more about the different ways you can have your say. Have Your Say Social Media Take a look at what we’ve been up to over on our Instagram page! Load more

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. 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. We will go through this in more detail when we meet, but you can find out more here. 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.

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.

A guide for young people using YouCan and Unity services to understand what personal information we collect, how we use it, and when it may be shared. 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.

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!

Information to help professionals regarding young people around drugs and alcohol. Professional's support Further down this webpage, you'll find a referral form for our services. If a young person is not yet ready to engage with us directly and would prefer to speak to a trusted adult such as yourself, we can offer confidential advice and guidance to help you support them more effectively. Our Support Includes: Confidential Online Call If you’re worried about a young person who isn't ready to engage, we can offer advice without a referral. Our administrator can arrange a call with a specialist practitioner. Click the button below to view our contact details. Young People's Screening Tool If you are working with a child or young person who is misusing drugs or alcohol, using a screening tool can be a helpful first step in starting a conversation about their substance use. Click the button below to access the screening tool. Drug & Alcohol Awareness Training Drug and alcohol awareness sessions for staff working with vulnerable young people in a range of settings including, residential settings, Children's Services, schools and mental health. Click the button below to view our contact details. Targeted Group Sessions For targeted groups of young people who have increased vulnerability to substance misuse we can provide structured and unstructured educational sessions tailored to the needs of each group. Click the button below to view our group offer. Contact Us Screening Tool Group Offer Contact Us Referrals to our Services To refer a young person you are working with, please use the referral forms below. If you need support, have any questions about the forms, or are unsure whether a referral is appropriate, we recommend contacting us to discuss. All three of our young people’s services are voluntary. This means that children and young people must understand what the service offers before a referral is made and must give their consent to receive support. Our YouCan & Unity services can also offer brief interventions to young people who may not require ongoing support. This can be up to 3 sessions. YouCan This service is for: Age under 19's Living in Norfolk Impacted by family/relative drug/alcohol use If you would like to refer an young person affected by a family members drug/alcohol use, please use the referral form below. YouCan Referral Form Unity This service is for: Age under 19's Living in Norfolk Want to stop/reduce drugs/alcohol use If you would like to refer a young person regarding their drug/alcohol use, please use the referral form below. Unity Referral Form OnTrack This service is for: 13 - 24 year olds Living in Norfolk At risk/not in education or employment If you would like to refer a young person who would like stupport to move closer to education, training or employment, please use the referral form below. OnTrack Referral Form Newsletter To keep up to date with what our young people's team has been up to, subscribe to our professional's monthly newsletter using the button below. Newsletter Sign-Up Working with Families We provide comprehensive support for our service users which can incorporate support for parents and carers. You can find out more about what we cover via the parents info page using the button below. Parent Info Getting Appropriate Accurate Advice and Information We have a resources page where we link to relevant resources to help better inform and support young people, parents and carers. If you work for an organisation that you think would benefit the young people we work with, please get in touch. Resources FAQ's Do you work collaboratively with other services? Yes, we actively engage with other service providers who are supporting a young person. What is the referral criteria? - Under 19 years old - Living in Norfolk - Either 1) Affected by a family member's drug or alcohol use or 2) would like to reduce their own use How do I make a referral? Here is a link to our referral form - Or you can phone us on our advice line: 0800 970 4866 Do I need consent from a young person to do a referral? Yes, we will not be able to accept a referral if consent has been obtained from the young person. How long is the support for? We tailor the support we provide to individuals based on their specific needs and circumstances. Do you provide an aftercare services for individuals who have completed the programme? After a young person has completed their time with our service, we will conduct a follow-up phone check on how they are getting on. Additionally, they have the option to connect with us through our live chat for support. Do you offer services for family members of individuals struggling with addiction? We have a parent support group for parents/carers of children who are under 19. Does a young person's parents/carers need to know that they are receiving support from you? If a young person is under 13, they will need consent from their parent/carer to receive support. If they are over 13 years old and competent, we can support them without their parents' consent. Can I discuss a young person I am worried about before referring them? Yes, you can chat to us via the live chat, advice line or via email - Contact Us | Unity (matthewprojectyoungpeople.org)

Resources to help inform you and keep you safe around drug and alcohol use. Resources Substances Information Click the buttons below to learn more about different substances. Click Here Ketamine Cannabis MDMA Alcohol Cocaine Click Here Click Here Click Here Click Here Assembly Video The assembly video explores common myths around alcohol and cannabis, and shares information about our services for under-19s in Norfolk who are affected by substance use, whether their own or that of a family member. You can view the video below: Assembly Video_V0.4 Play Video Facebook Twitter Pinterest Tumblr Copy Link Link Copied Other support for young people in Norfolk If you’re looking for additional support, FYI Norfolk is a trusted self-care website for young people aged 11–24 across Norfolk and Waveney. It offers clear, reliable information and advice on a wide range of health and wellbeing topics, helping you find the support that’s right for you. FYI Norfolk

Discover clear information for young people about alcohol, its effects, and how to make safer choices. Learn facts, tips, and where to find help. 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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