DASS – drug and alcohol support service for young people

The Drug and Alcohol Support Service (DASS) works with young people under 19 in Portsmouth who are using substances.

A worker from DASS can meet a young person in a variety of places such as their home, school, family hub, youth club or even a coffee shop. They also run evening sessions in different youth clubs in the city.

The service is confidential in line with safeguarding policies. This means the worker would only discuss the young person with others if there was a risk of serious harm, and they would normally discuss this with the young person first if possible. DASS encourages parent involvement, but only where a young person is comfortable with this.

The service also offers confidential, supportive drop-in sessions for Portsmouth parents who have concerns or questions. This can be around their child’s substance use, or potential use of drugs or alcohol. These run from four different family hubs in the city. See below for details.

DASS also provides training to organisations and staff who work with young people to enable them to offer substance misuse support. Use the contact details below to find out more about this

A young person can contact DASS directly if they want support, or an adult like a teacher or youth worker can contact the service on behalf of the young person if they have their permission.

Young people or professionals can contact DASS by

• emailing dass@portsmouthcc.gov.uk
• calling or texting 07979 706037 or 023 9288 2593 (our office landline).
• Visit us: 55 Kingston Road, Fratton, Portsmouth, PO2 7DP