We are thrilled to announce that The Students’ Union and UWE Bristol have received 92% in the SOS-UK Drug and Alcohol Accreditation!

In 2022 UWE Bristol and The Students’ Union were the first partnership to receive a national drugs and alcohol impact accreditation and we are incredibly proud to be awarded  this accreditation for a second time with a higher scoring. This reflects the hard work to drive forward a harm reduction policy and culture across all operations and the student experience.

Drug and Alcohol Impact was launched by the National Union of Students and SOS-UK in 2020 in order to embed social norms of responsible drinking on University campuses, and refocuses the conversation on drugs towards reducing harm, and building healthier, safer, more productive student communities.

Key projects and initiatives that were celebrated in the audit this year were our full time Drugs and Alcohol Practitioner Becky Risley being in post, the training of 450 students as part of their sports club/society and our newly launched harm reduction campaign.

SOS-UK commented: ‘The partnership has demonstrated they have regularly and successfully shared good practice across the sector. This shows they are leaders in this area of work and have positively helped other universities and students’ unions.’ SOS-UK trained 7 UWE Bristol student volunteers in preparation for the audit which was extremely successful. The student auditors commented on the excellent work that the partnership has continued to do since the last accreditation and the lasting impact that our new work and interventions will have.

“I wasn’t aware the university has done so much work to reduce harm impact. Its absolutely great! Their proactive approach addresses substance use and provides support and resources to those in need” – UWE student auditor

"Participating in the audit has deepened my appreciation for the partnership's impactful work on drug and alcohol issues. The innovative strategies, harm reduction approach, and comprehensive support provided to empower students to make safe and balanced choices are truly commendable." – UWE student auditor

Ready for start of year the partnership will look at how to develop this work further including the launch of our new drugs and alcohol policy, tailored messaging for professional courses and more insight into drinking culture.

You can read more about our work here:

• https://www.uwe.ac.uk/life/health-and-wellbeing/stay-fit-and-healthy/alcohol-and-drugs
• https://www.thestudentsunion.co.uk/support/drugsincludingalcohol/ 
• https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-bristol-64476341