About Ted Noffs Foundation’s PALM Program
The Ted Noffs Foundation PALM Program (Program for Adolescent Life Management) is a smoke-free residential therapeutic community that addresses alcohol and other drug (AOD) use by young people aged 13-18. The team at Ted Noffs found it challenging to seek buy-in from clients to actively quit nicotine during their stay, as all of the residents either smoked or vaped upon entry to PALM. Staff would often see e-cigarettes (vapes) brought into the service by residents who were allowed to have leave. This would ultimately disrupt the progress they had made on their quit journey.
The team at PALM approached the Tackling Tobacco team at Cancer Council NSW to explore Nicotine Replacement Therapy (NRT) options for their clients. They were motivated to educate staff about the importance of smoking and vaping cessation to better provide quit support to their young people.
Tailoring Tackling Tobacco for young people
Through the support of Tackling Tobacco, the PALM team at Ted Noffs implemented more frequent smoking cessation groups (from every 3-4 weeks to weekly). They discussed the health, social and financial issues around smoking and vaping. Initially, the young people of PALM were opposed to attending regular groups on smoking cessation. The Tackling Tobacco Steering Committee redesigned the groups to ensure they were informative and relatable to increase the young people’s engagement. Some key components of this redesign was modifying the language they used, handing out Cancer Council resources, and developing worksheets for the young people to take away after the group.
The groups led to more open conversations and reflections about smoking and vaping, which challenged some of the young people’s views. Senior residents actively engaging in the groups and making efforts to quit greatly affected the other young people’s willingness to quit. Through Tackling Tobacco, the senior residents became role models for the rest of PALM community in leading this change.
Creating a new supportive system
Ted Noffs’ PALM Program used their grant funding provided by Cancer Council NSW to purchase NRT to provide ongoing support to the young people. Through the grant, the PALM team established a new process where they would make and provide ‘NRT Packs’ for young people to use on leave. This was something PALM was previously unable to do. The staff at PALM would ensure the packs would have enough NRT to support the young person to stay nicotine-free during their leave. The packs also included ‘quit cards’ with support numbers such as Quitline, and fidget toys to help manage cravings and stress.
Following the Tackling Tobacco Training, Ted Noffs found that all the staff were committed to addressing nicotine use within PALM. Staff were having more consistent conversations about quitting with the clients as part of case management. This allowed all the staff to stay on track with where the young people were at on their quit journeys and identify opportunities for when additional support was needed. As a result, clients were more open to the idea of quitting and using the ‘NRT Packs’, as it became a regular topic of conversation.
The changes we have made since implementing Tackling Tobacco are now incorporated daily with our work practices. All clients receive ongoing support and more educated conversations about where they are at on their journey and how we can support them to achieve positive outcomes.
The Tackling Tobacco Champion at Ted Noffs’ PALM Program
The impact of Tackling Tobacco on community
The staff have felt that the young people at PALM are now more supported than ever around smoking and vaping cessation because of the more relevant groups and consistent NRT provision. The Tackling Tobacco Champion shared a success story about one of their PALM clients. The young person was originally adamant that he did not want to quit vaping, and that he was only at PALM to address AOD use. Through constant support from staff, this client decided that he would like to cease nicotine all together and became a role model for others in the community. This client is now 60+ days free from nicotine, and has begun cutting down on NRT, as he feels confident he will not pick up vaping again.
“Tackling Tobacco has made the topic of smoking and vaping cessation a norm within our community” the Champion said. The program has resulted in staff feeling more supported through education and resources. PALM has seen a shift in attitude of their young people, in feeling empowered to make a more serious quit attempt. Their clients are now supporting one another, within PALM, through their quit journeys together.
The future of addressing nicotine use at PALM
Ted Noffs created a culture within PALM where talking about the quit journey is normal. The Steering Committee at Ted Noffs will continue to drive what has now become usual practice. They plan to offer the same support for clients old and new, aiming to help young people to make positive changes around their nicotine use.
Working with our demographic of young people, we have always found it hard to adequately support them to quit – the Tackling Tobacco program changed this. With guidance and support from Cancer Council, we were able to educate our clients appropriately, and provide adequate NRT to support them on their quit journey.
The Champion
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