We’re pleased to announce that the Keele University and Keele University Students Union have successfully obtained their second SOS-UK Drug and Alcohol accreditation following a two-day audit.  

This accreditation illustrates a perseverance and commitment from the partnership to embed a social norm of responsible alcohol consumption and to change the conversation on drugs away from zero tolerance and towards reducing harm.

Key findings of the audit include:

• The partnership is committed to designing and delivering a peer support mechanism for students on campus and have worked towards this by not only consulting students but also by working closely with other universities who provide similar support schemes.  

• The auditors were really impressed by the range of training provided for staff, especially those within residences. The educational conversations work with students was a highlight of this, with 45 individual conversations taking place over the last academic year.

• The partnership has demonstrated that multiple staff, including senior leadership, are involved in this work. This comprehensive involvement underscores the staff's commitment to the programme on multiple levels.

• The partnership has engaged with sports clubs and societies, delivering training which included drugs & alcohol to 700 students.

• The partnership has built a successful partnership with their local drug service, and auditors were really impressed by the partnerships work to ensure that all of their students could access this support, including those students who were not residents of the specific area normally covered.

SOS-UK trained Keele University student volunteers to audit their institution.

One student auditor said: “The partnership's Drug & Alcohol Impact work demonstrates a profound commitment to community health and well-being, with effective strategies and dedicated efforts significantly reducing substance abuse and supporting recovery.”

"At Keele we're really proud of all of the work done to champion a harm reduction approach on campus which focuses on education and support. The audit and results really highlight our efforts in this area and demonstrates our commitment to this. The work has been led by Kara McEnaney and Kieran Giles who have worked with a Steering Group and student auditors to achieve this fantastic result. We're thrilled to be re-accredited and commend the work done by the group. We are already seeing the positive impacts this work is having on our student community and look forward to using feedback from the audit to steer our next steps." (Katie Laverty, Director of Student Support and Success, Keele University).

Congratulations to all those involved in the Drug and Alcohol Impact Programme, a great achievement!

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