Drug and Alcohol Awareness (Substance Misuse)

Drug and alcohol awareness training delivered at your workplace. One full day. The knowledge your team needs to recognise substance misuse, understand dual diagnosis, apply your organisation’s legal responsibilities, and support individuals without leaving them without a pathway.

Course Overview

Drug and alcohol misuse does not stay outside the workplace door. It affects performance, safety, decision-making, and relationships in every sector, from offices and construction sites to care homes and supported living services. And in health and social care settings, it is not just a workforce issue. It is frequently a characteristic of the people being supported.

The complexity that care workers encounter is not always straightforward substance misuse. It is often a dual diagnosis: the intersection of substance misuse and mental health conditions that makes accurate recognition, appropriate response, and effective signposting significantly more difficult. A person whose presentation shifts between withdrawal, anxiety, psychosis, and intoxication is not easy to read, and care workers who have never been given a framework for understanding that overlap are working without the tools they need.

This course addresses drug and alcohol awareness across two distinct but connected dimensions. The first is the workplace: understanding how substance misuse affects colleagues and work environments, what the legal and policy framework requires, and how to respond to concerns professionally, consistently, and lawfully. The second is the person being supported: understanding how substance misuse presents in care settings, what dual diagnosis means in practice, and how to signpost individuals to the right services without overstepping the care worker’s role. The course reflects current employer responsibilities under the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974, the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971, and ACAS guidance on workplace drug and alcohol policies.

Course Details

  • Duration: Full day (6 hours)
  • Delivery: Face-to-face only, at your workplace or chosen venue
  • Certificate: CPD-Accredited Certificate of Achievement in Drug and Alcohol Awareness
  • Awarding organisations: CPD-Accredited
  • Validity: No formal expiry. Refresher is recommended every 1 to 3 years, or sooner following changes to legislation, organisational policy, or workplace risk.
  • Group size: Maximum 12 learners per trainer

Who This Course Is For

This course is right for anyone working in an environment where drug and alcohol misuse is a potential risk, whether among colleagues, service users, or both.

  • Care assistants, support workers, and health and social care staff supporting individuals where substance misuse is a factor
  • Managers and supervisors responsible for responding to workplace substance misuse concerns
  • HR and people management teams with responsibility for drug and alcohol policies
  • Senior carers and team leaders in residential, nursing, and domiciliary care settings
  • Safety representatives and operational staff in higher-risk environments
  • Customer-facing and community-facing staff across any sector

No prior knowledge is needed. Content is always adapted to reflect your sector, service type, and the specific risks relevant to your organisation.

Not sure whether this course covers what your team needs? Get in touch, and we’ll help you work it out before you commit.

The Legal Requirement

Under the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974, employers must ensure the health, safety, and welfare of their employees and manage risks that could affect others. An employee who is under the influence of alcohol or substances at work is a risk to themselves, to colleagues, and in care settings, to the people they support. Employers who do not have a clear policy and a trained workforce are exposed both legally and operationally.

The Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 creates specific obligations for organisations, particularly in care settings where controlled drugs may be present. Understanding what the law permits, what it prohibits, and where organisational responsibility lies is not optional for managers and care providers.

For CQC-registered providers, the expectation under CQC Regulation 12: Safe Care and Treatment and Regulation 17: Good Governance is that staff can recognise risk, respond appropriately, and escalate concerns in line with organisational procedures. Where substance misuse is a characteristic of the people being supported, the quality of the care team’s response is a direct indicator of safe and effective care.

What the Day Covers

All content reflects the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974, the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971, ACAS guidance on workplace drug and alcohol policies, and NHS England guidance on dual diagnosis throughout. Topics covered include:

  • What substance misuse is: definitions, types of substances, and the spectrum from use to dependency
  • Effects of drugs and alcohol on health, behaviour, decision-making, and workplace performance
  • Recognising signs and symptoms: what to look for in colleagues and in individuals being supported
  • Dual diagnosis: the overlap between substance misuse and mental health conditions, why people fall between services, and what care workers need to understand about this
  • The legal framework: Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974, Misuse of Drugs Act 1971, and employer responsibilities
  • Workplace drug and alcohol policies: what they must cover, how to apply them, and what managers are legally permitted to do
  • Supporting individuals in care settings: the care worker’s role, appropriate boundaries, and avoiding enabling while maintaining a supportive relationship
  • Signposting: FRANK, Change Grow Live, local drug and alcohol services, dual diagnosis pathways, and how to make a referral or recommendation
  • Managing concerns and difficult conversations: how to raise a concern, how to respond when someone discloses, and how to document appropriately
  • Escalation: when to involve safeguarding, management, or external agencies

Every course is also built to include your internal drug and alcohol policy, your specific role responsibilities, and your organisation’s escalation and reporting processes as standard.

How the Course Is Delivered

This course is delivered face-to-face only. The scenarios, discussions, and role-based exercises that make this training effective require the kind of honest, in-the-room engagement that remote delivery cannot fully replicate. Dual diagnosis in particular is a topic that generates significant discussion once people start applying it to real situations they have encountered, and that discussion is best had in person.

Groups are capped at 12 to ensure every learner gets sufficient time for discussion and questions. Every session is built around your internal drug and alcohol policy, the substances most relevant to your workforce or service user group, and any specific incidents or concerns that have arisen in your setting. We also design each course to incorporate your escalation and safeguarding processes and the specific contexts your team works in.

Delivery includes:

  • Scenario-based discussion covering workplace concerns, dual diagnosis presentations, and signposting decisions
  • Honest exploration of the tension between supporting someone and managing the risk they present
  • Practical guidance on policies, legal responsibilities, and what managers and care workers are and are not permitted to do
  • Discussion of dual diagnosis and the specific challenges it creates in health and social care settings

Certification and Validity

On completion, learners receive a CPD-Accredited Certificate of Achievement in Drug and Alcohol Awareness.

There is no formal expiry, but a refresher is recommended every 1 to 3 years, or sooner following changes to legislation, organisational policy, or the risk profile of the workplace. For care providers, an earlier refresher is advisable following any significant incident involving substance misuse or dual diagnosis, or where CQC inspection feedback identifies gaps in staff knowledge or response.

Our Mental Health Awareness training pairs naturally with this course for teams supporting individuals with co-occurring substance misuse and mental health needs.

Why Organisations Book With Prima Cura

Most training providers arrive with a course. We arrive with yours.

Before the day, we gather information about your workplace: your incident reporting forms, your internal procedures, the specific hazards your team actually faces. On the day, your trainer works that into every scenario, every discussion, every practical exercise. If your staff work in a care home, they’re not practising on hypothetical office workers. If your team are lone workers, that context shapes how the session runs.

It means the training lands. Not because it was well-delivered in a generic sense, but because it was relevant to the people in the room and the situations they’ll actually encounter.

A few other things that matter to the organisations that book with us:

  • 98.9% learner satisfaction across all Prima Cura courses
  • All trainers hold Enhanced DBS certificates and maintain ongoing CPD
  • We advise honestly on the qualification level at the enquiry stage. If a different course is a better fit for your workforce, we’ll say so before you book, not after

We respond to all enquiries within one working day.

Where We Deliver

We deliver in-house training at your workplace or chosen venue across Manchester, Greater Manchester, and the wider North West. We also deliver nationally across England, including North England, South England, London, and Surrey.

All sessions are led by experienced Prima Cura Training instructors. Groups are capped at 12 per trainer to protect the quality of hands-on learning.

Our associate network means we can deliver across England. You can meet the team on our Associates page.

FAQs

What is dual diagnosis, and why does it matter in care settings?

Dual diagnosis refers to the co-occurrence of substance misuse and a mental health condition in the same individual. It matters in care settings because the two conditions interact in ways that make each harder to recognise and respond to. A person experiencing both a mental health crisis and substance misuse may be turned away by mental health services because of the substance use, and by drug and alcohol services because of the mental health presentation. Care workers who do not understand this dynamic are poorly placed to support individuals effectively or to navigate the referral landscape on their behalf. This course covers dual diagnosis directly, including what it looks like in practice and how to respond and signpost appropriately.

What are an employer’s legal responsibilities around drug and alcohol misuse at work?

Under the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974, employers must ensure the health, safety, and welfare of their employees and manage risks to others. This includes having a drug and alcohol policy, ensuring managers know how to apply it, and taking action when an employee is unfit for work due to substance misuse. The Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 creates additional obligations, particularly for organisations where controlled drugs are present. This course covers both in practical detail.

Does this course include drug testing procedures?

No. The course focuses on awareness, recognition, legal responsibilities, and appropriate response rather than testing procedures. Drug and alcohol testing in the workplace is a separate area requiring specific legal and HR advice and must be underpinned by a clear organisational policy. This course covers what the policy framework should include, but does not train learners to carry out testing.

Is this course suitable for managers as well as frontline staff?

Yes, and the content is relevant at every level. Frontline staff need to recognise warning signs and know how to raise concerns. Managers need to understand their legal responsibilities, how to apply the drug and alcohol policy consistently, and how to handle concerns and disclosures professionally and lawfully. The course is structured to be relevant to both groups and we can adjust the emphasis depending on the composition of your team.

Additional Reading

We have covered the use of Naloxone in one of our blogs. You may find it helpful to read.

Related Courses

Book or Enquire

Book your training or request a quote

Tell us your team size and your sector. We’ll come back with a quote, the right advice on qualification level, and a straight answer on whether this is the best course for your team.

We respond to all enquiries within one working day.

Our Commitment to Quality and Compliance

At Prima Cura Training, all courses reflect current UK guidance and best practice. All trainers are experienced professionals with relevant qualifications and ongoing CPD. Because many of the organisations we support work with vulnerable individuals, all trainers hold Enhanced DBS checks.

This course is reviewed against updates from the Health and Safety Executive, NHS England, ACAS, and current UK legislation including the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974, the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971, and the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014.

You can read more on our Quality Assurance and Compliance page.

Reviewed by Stephanie Austin, Owner and Lead Trainer, Prima Cura Training | 25+ years in health and social care | 15+ years as a trainer | Last reviewed: June 2026 | Next review: June 2027

This page is for general guidance only and reflects current UK legislation and best practice as of the date of review. It does not constitute legal, clinical, or medical advice. Drug and Alcohol Awareness Training is an awareness-level course and does not replace specialist substance misuse intervention, clinical assessment, or dual diagnosis treatment, which must be carried out by appropriately qualified professionals. Organisations remain responsible for ensuring their drug and alcohol policies comply with current employment law and health and safety legislation. Where substance misuse raises safeguarding concerns, providers must follow their safeguarding procedures and reporting obligations.

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