Tell me more about DANOS

The Drugs and Alcohol National Occupational Standards, DANOS, specify the standards of performance that people in the drugs and alcohol field should be working to. They also describe the knowledge and skills needed to meet those standards. DANOS can help you to decide if a course matches your learning needs and your individual annual training plan.

HIT’s training courses provide professionals with support to achieve the competences they need to demonstrate, in line with the DANOS framework. To this end we have indicated the units supported by our training courses. A full list of DANOS units, and their knowledge and skills components, can be found at www.skillsforhealth.org.uk/danos/.

Drug and Alcohol Professional Certification

HIT are pleased to support the Federation of Drug and Alcohol Professionals in its Certification Scheme, which builds upon the Drug and Alcohol National Occupational Standards (DANOS) to provide competence-based certification.

Under the scheme, practitioners can be Certified as a Drug and Alcohol Professional by providing evidence of competence in a ‘core’ set of nine DANOS units, plus one from a set of fourteen ‘specialist’ units. Visit www.fdap.org.uk for more information.

DANOS Units

The nine core units and fourteen specialist units are set out below. For details of the competence requirements in each case, see www.skillsforhealth.org.uk/danos/

Core units

Relate to, and interact with, individuals [HSC233]
Promote the equality, diversity, rights and responsibilities of individuals [HSC3111]
Promote choice, well-being and the protection of all individuals [HSC35]
Reflect on and develop your practice [HSC33]
Make use of supervision [GEN36]
Promote, monitor and maintain health, safety and security in the working environment [HSC32]
Promote effective communication for and about individuals [HSC31]
Assess and act upon immediate risk of danger to substance users [AB5]
(Either) Carry out assessment to identify and prioritise needs [AF2] (or) Carry out comprehensive substance misuse assessment [AF3]

Specialist units

Support individuals who are substance users [AB2]
Provide services to those affected by someone else’s substance use [AB7]
Raise awareness about substances, their use and effects [AD1]
Develop and disseminate information and advice about substance use, health and social well-being [AD4]
Test for substance use [AE1]
Develop, implement and review care plans for individuals [AG1]
Prescribe controlled drugs for substance users [AH1]
Supply and exchange injecting equipment for individuals [AH3]
Support individuals through detoxification programmes [AH7]
Supervise methadone consumption [AH9]
Carry out brief interventions with alcohol users [AH10]
Prepare prescriptions for controlled drugs [AH11]
Counsel individuals about their substance use, using recognised theoretical models [AI1]
Counsel groups of individuals about their substance use, using recognised theoretical models [AI3]