A new programme offering substance abuse care for children as young as 13 has today been launched.The Adolescent Intensive Outpatient Programme (AIOP) was announced at a joint press conference by Caron Bermuda, Bermuda Youth Counseling Services (BYCS); Glenn Blakeney, Minister of Youth, Families and Sports, and Philip Butterfield, CEO, HSBC Bank Bermuda.Mr Blakeney said: “I am very pleased with the development of the Adolescent Intensive Outpatient Programme. The partnership between the Bermuda Youth Counseling Services, Caron Bermuda and HSBC opens up opportunities for remarkable and rewarding advances in meeting the needs of our youth and families. This partnership has brought people together around mutually held ideas, principles, and goals to reach a common purpose.”Caron Bermuda, a not-for-profit alcohol and substance abuse treatment facility, and Bermuda Youth Counseling Services have developed the AIOP under the auspices of the Department of Child and Family Services as unique public/private collaboration.The AIOP offers a customised, therapeutic response to the growing and critical need for intensive substance abuse treatment for adolescents and young adults aged 13 to 21 in Bermuda.An individualised ten to 12-week programmes can accommodate approximately 20 clients per cycle, and will be facilitated at Caron Bermuda, with Family Groups at BYCS. An earlier collaboration, The Student Assistance Programme, developed by Caron Bermuda with PRIDE Bermuda is an ongoing community prevention programme for youth.The new intensive outpatient treatment programme is designed specifically for students who have been displaced from their schools because of substance use, abuse or addiction issues.These students will be referred to the AIOP by the Bermuda Youth Community Services, schools, other referent agencies, and receive treatment at no cost to their families. The AIOP will facilitate connection between adolescent clients and their schools as well as a seamless transition back to school following treatment.The need for a specific Bermudian AIOP programme has been underscored by statistics from a 2010 report from the Department for National Drug Control, Ministry of Culture and Social Rehabilitation which showed that Bermudian students recorded the highest lifetime prevalence-of-use rates for alcohol (66.9 percent); marijuana (23 percent); cigarettes (21.9 percent) and inhalants (10.8 percent). Students reported the highest current use of alcohol (37.5 percent) and marijuana (12.8 percent). Some 12 percent report using an illegal drug other than marijuana in their lifetime.The new AIOP at Caron Bermuda will include group counselling services; adolescent orientation and evaluations. The programme’s goal is not only to help participants achieve long term sobriety, but to build vital life skills in healthy behaviour and decision-making.Mr Butterfield said: "Indeed it has become increasingly evident that collaborative and supportive alliances are a necessary and appropriate response to the issues that we are facing. In 2010, HSBC partnered with Caron Bermuda to provide support over three years for a pilot initiative to demonstrate how the community is coming together to fill a necessary gap for an under served population. HSBC expects the results of this intensive outpatient programme to contribute to the development of youth as healthy citizens who are free from violence, substance abuse and other negative influences."For more information visit www.caronbermuda.org.