WELCOME

Welcome to this 1st birthday issue of the FRANK Action Update – a look back
on the first year of the FRANK campaign and a look forward to what’s to come.

IN THIS ISSUE
Since the launch in May 2003, FRANK’s first year has been a hive of activity. With 1.5 million visitors to the
website (www.talktofrank.com), over 380,000 calls to the helpline and nearly 4,500 individuals and projects
registered with the campaign, FRANK has started to gain a real and credible presence. This achievement is
largely due to the hard work put in by local projects across the country and we send our heartfelt thanks to
all of you who have been promoting FRANK in your area.

In this issue you will find a review of the key FRANK activities from the past 12 months and an overview of your
feedback on the materials and the campaign in general. You will also find topline statistics from various research
studies that have investigated the effectiveness of FRANK in communicating the drugs message to young people.
And, as we celebrate the 1st anniversary of the campaign, we have taken this opportunity to profile some of the
fantastic ideas that have been developed locally by projects. We also give you ideas for leisure time, sport and
holiday activities. As the campaign enters its second year, we hope this Update gives you inspiration to continue
to promote FRANK in tandem with your local activities.

CONTENTS:
FRANK IN ACTION Feedback from the public and local networks about the 1st year
of the FRANK campaign 2
MOVERS AND SHAKERS Snapshots of positive practice from the field 5
VITAL STATISTICS Statistics, trends, insights and the year ahead for the FRANK campaign 8
IDEAS FOR ACTION Ideas and inspiration for media work and local awareness 14
USEFUL RESOURCES Useful contacts, publications, resources and websites 20

LOOSE SHEETS:
FRANK ACTIVITIES Activities and ideas for work in one–to–one, groupwork settings,
and for media briefings
FRANK IDEAS
HAPPY BIRTHDAY
HOLIDAY FRANK
FRANK AT LEISURE
BRINGING IN THE MONEY
QUIZ
CROSSWORD
FRANK TIPS Info and advice sheets for young people and campaign planning
Holiday Highs
Campaign Checklist
MORE FRANK Order your FRANK resources
NOMINATION FORM Nominate local projects for the FRANK Stakeholder Awards

The core audiences for the FRANK Activities and FRANK Tips in this issue are young people aged 11–21
and parents of 11–18 year olds.
FRANK Action Update – Happy Birthday FRANK! 1
 FRANK IN ACTION

The FRANK campaign is a three-year joint initiative from the Home Office and
the Department of Health and is supported by the Department for Education
and Skills. Launched on 23rd May 2003, FRANK aims to help young people
understand the risks and dangers of drugs and drug use and point them in
the direction of sound advice and help. In addition, the campaign seeks to
give parents the facts about drugs to enable them to talk to their children
about these issues with confidence. FRANK also aims to support the work of
professionals working with vulnerable young people. The campaign focuses
on Class A drugs and targets 11-21 year olds, parents of 11-18 year olds and
incorporates a helpline – 0800 77 66 00 – and a website – www.talktofrank.com.

For news on how FRANK is progressing, and details of future plans, make sure you
register at www.drugs.gov.uk/campaign

THE STORY SO FAR MEDIA BITES

The campaign was launched with a series of
TV, radio and print adverts. Thanks to ongoing
support from advertising, PR and a plethora
of local initiatives, FRANK’s reputation - as the
no-nonsense, non-judgemental source of drugs
information and advice -
has spread quickly. Nearly
www.talktofrank 4,500 people and
won Yahoo! projects are now
Best Educational registered with
website 2003 the campaign at
www.drugs.gov.uk and
over 1.5 million visitors
have logged on to www.talktofrank.com. The
helpline has answered more than 380,000 calls
and the campaign now has access to 1,969
referral organisations on the drug services
database. This has been an encouraging first
year but we are aware that there is more work
to be done. Over the next few pages, we look
at some of the key areas in which FRANK has
been working this year as well as some of the
learning from the past 12 months. First, let’s look
at general impressions of FRANK so far.
The FRANK advertising first launched on TV with
a series of humorous ads encouraging people
to talk about drugs. The advertising was then
extended into radio, print and ambient media.
Potentially, about 98% of 11 - 18 year olds have
been reached 22 times through the advertising
with ads appearing in 23 youth titles and
mentions of FRANK on over 100 TV channels
and 68 radio stations. Whilst feedback has
suggested that some parents would prefer a
harder-hitting approach (although most
understood the value of using humour), the
advertising has proved particularly popular
among teenagers. In evaluation studies,
teenagers have overwhelmingly expressed that
- based on their perceptions of the adverts -
they would expect FRANK to give honest,
friendly, impartial advice. They also felt that
FRANK would give the facts about drugs rather
than telling people what they should think.
FRANK was featured on 112 television
channels reaching 79% of 11-18 year olds
an average of over 8 times

2 FRANK Action Update – Happy Birthday FRANK!

FRANK ON TV FRANK IN PRINT
PR activity has reached approximately 70% of
the population and, on average, each of these
people has had the opportunity to see FRANK
in the media 8 times. 1,159 articles about FRANK
have appeared in the press so far, many of these
in local papers. Key stories generating the most
coverage included the launch, an online poll
CURLING LAUNDERETTE about parents talking about drugs, a
Christmas/New Year party safe (polydrugs)
message and the
reclassification of
cannabis. FRANK was
advertised on 68
To date, 5,500 outdoor radio stations.
posters have The ads reached
publicised FRANK on 72.1% of 11-18 year
HUGGING TALK ABOUT
sites throughout the olds who heard
country and the them an average
posters have of 15 times
appeared in over
1,000 pubs and clubs.

FISHING SWIMMING

WORRIED WEATHERMAN

In March 2004, the

FRANK TV ad ‘Worried’ won a
British Television Advertising Award
FRANK has appeared in 23 magazines
reaching 64.7% of 11-18 year olds and seen
an average of more than 6 times

FRANK Action Update – Happy Birthday FRANK! 3

 FRANK IN ACTION

FRANK THANKS
The success of the campaign so far has been largely due to the hard work put in by projects
across the country to incorporate the FRANK message into local drug and alcohol work. The key to
raising awareness about drugs and changing behaviour is what happens locally. FRANK wants to
thank all of you for your support and for developing such innovative approaches for using FRANK. It
couldn’t have been done without you! See ‘Movers and Shakers’ for an overview of some of the
excellent initiatives that local projects have been running to promote FRANK.

FRANK FEEDBACK
This is a great site. Your tone is just right – not
patronising and telling it how it is. Nice, clean
navigation.
E-mail about www.talktofrank.com
I wasn’t sure at first because awareness of
FRANK seemed to take a long time to spread,
but now we’re hearing of a lot more cases of
people who have got good information from
them or been referred along the line to an
appropriate agency.
Local drugs worker talking about the campaign

Statistics are always useful. I use them when

I’m doing parent awareness evenings. Parents
have pre-conceived ideas and it is useful to
give them a reality check.
Drugs worker commenting on the Action Updates
I ran some training for young people as
drugs peer educators last weekend. They
phoned the FRANK helpline and were really
impressed by the responses they obtained.
For me that was a very positive experience.
Education worker’s feedback on the helpline

It’s satisfying for us as drugs workers to feel

confident that when clients contact FRANK
they are getting good information.
Comment on the helpline from a local drugs worker
Your TV ads make drug users look idiotic,
detached and laughable. This is not what I
want my parents to think of drug users before
they’ve even bothered to find anything out.
E-mail from a student about the TV advertising
FRANK would like to thank all those who have
given feedback on the campaign over the
past year and who have shared some of their
ideas and activities. Please keep it coming as
FRANK heads into year two. We need to know
what you like and what you don’t like, what
you think works or doesn’t work and,
importantly, your suggestions for activities and
materials that you would like to see developed.
This feedback is essential in helping to ensure
that the campaign is tailored to your needs
and is as effective as possible.

Keep in touch! Tell us what you’re doing – and what people are saying locally about FRANK –
by emailing at frank@homeoffice.gsi.gov.uk

4 FRANK Action Update – Happy Birthday FRANK!

MOVERS AND SHAKERS

Local partnerships, schools, police and agencies around the country have
been putting FRANK on the map locally through a variety of innovative
activities. From summer-long campaigns on the beach to link-ups with rugby
and football teams, web links, drama initiatives and awareness programmes
in clubs, your work locally has been integral to the widespread visibility of the
FRANK logo and message. In this section we profile just some of the great
FRANK initiatives that we know of that have been taking place at a local level
over the past 12 months. We would like to thank everybody in the field for all
their enthusiasm, hard work and support during the first year of the campaign.

Somerset DAT in
carnival mood LOCAL INITIATIVES INCLUDE…
Barking & Dagenham Youth Offending Team
‘FRANK the tank Information packs with FRANK materials for
engine’ float at the all the young people they see and info for
local Bridgewater parents following their child’s assessment.
carnival with FRANK’s
details on carrier bags, Bedfordshire DAT
balloons and t-shirts Series of infomercials on local radio promoting
and even down the FRANK and local services resulting in the
middle of sticks of rock! creation of a Bedfordshire DAT Communities Line.

Bolsover District Council Derbyshire

Knowsley DAAT spread FRANK advice stand at a local shopping
the word centre, working in partnership with
Connexions and local treatment services.
20,000 FRANK
bookmarks advertising Brighton & Hove Communities Against Drugs
the campaign through FRANK information distributed to local drug
local library services. and youth services as well as colleges, GP
surgeries and taxi firms across the city.

Starry-eyed in Bedford! Collet School, Hemel Hempstead

Teachers used FRANK to raise drug
Bedfordshire DAT awareness among students and parents after
enlisted the help of a pupil ended up in hospital through
‘Posh and Becks’ look- experimenting with solvents.
alikes to generate
excitement and Connexions, County Durham
provide a hook for local FRANK materials distributed to Connexions
media to promote advisers and schools in the county.
FRANK at Christmas.

FRANK Action Update – Happy Birthday FRANK! 5

 MOVERS AND SHAKERS

Warwickshire keep up
to date Cumbria Police Community Unit
FRANK used in community settings and in
Warwickshire DAT schools to bring about greater understanding
update their FRANK of drugs and their misuse.
posters every three
months to give the Devon & Cornwall Connexions
latest information and FRANK incorporated into training for new
keep awareness going. personal advisers via a CD Rom.

Doncaster Drug Education Project

‘Tell FRANK’ event for 88 young people
focusing on self-esteem and drug awareness.
Premiership players
support FRANK in Essex Police
Bexley FRANK in pubs and clubs through the county
promoting drug awareness and warning
Bexley DAAT join forces about the dangers of drink-spiking.
with Charlton Athletic
FC’s Community Gateshead
Scheme to target FRANK on and inside buses, bus tickets, bus
primary and shelters, the Metro and at the bus terminus.
secondary school
children with drug Government Office South West Drugs Team
awareness messages. FRANK promoted on beaches in Cornwall all
through the summer plus FRANK photo
competition and a FRANK DJ competition.

Grantham and District Hospital

FRANK leaflets and posters in the pharmacy.

Hertfordshire DAT
FRANK presence at North Herts College and
FRANK football project for young people with
Stevenage Football Club.

Hull Community Drug Prevention Project

FRANK on the road in Nottingham
FRANK trams in Nottingham as part of a wider
campaign with ads on buses and radio,
posters and letters in schools and local offices.
Community day providing FRANK advice and
info on local drug services. Young people
devised their own FRANK adverts and made
a FRANK sculpture.
Kent DAT
FRANK advertising in their local paper
and a stall at the Kent Show.

6 FRANK Action Update – Happy Birthday FRANK!

Hats off to Hertfordshire
Leicester City Local Education Authority
As part of a Substance misuse team using FRANK
consultation process to activities in the formal induction of primary
develop a video on school pupils moving to secondary school.
drugs and crime, these
hats were produced Leicestershire Police Community Unit
and young people Working with nightclubs in Leicester that hold
enlisted to help spread events for under 18’s. FRANK stickers are on
the FRANK message. hundreds of give-away prizes.

Making waves in the Merton DAT

South West FRANK posters in bus shelters and advertising
the service to blind and partially sighted
Government Office people via the local newspaper.
South-West
highlighting FRANK on North East Lincolnshire DAT
surfboards, t-shirts and FRANK party for 2,000 young people at Butlins
banners as part of in Skegness including sessions on drug
their drugs awareness awareness and healthy living.
campaign on
Cornwall beaches. Swindon Crime and Disorder Team &
Neighbourhood Safety Team
Positive Futures in FRANK used in community education for
Manchester families affected by drugs and/or crime.

Manchester Leisure Telford Community Safety Project

Positive Futures Sports FRANK leaflets with drug awareness and personal
Development team safety messages designed by young people.
working to keep drugs
out of sport. The FRANK Welwyn & Hatfield PCT
logo appears on 5-a- FRANK at public exhibitions including a
side football kits, disability day and a health improvement
basketball tops, water conference for the community.
bottles, basketballs,
footballs and Woodbridge Young Offenders Institute
promotional banners. FRANK information is given to prisoners on
their release. FRANK facts are also used in
Do you know of a local project that you’d like one-to-one drug awareness sessions and the
to shout about? Check out the Stakeholder postcards used by the young people when
Awards as featured on page 13 in this pack they write home.
and nominate projects that inspire you.

Contact details for local Drug Action Teams can be found online at www.drugs.gov.uk.

FRANK Action Update – Happy Birthday FRANK! 7

 VITAL STATISTICS
THE TOP LINE
Research conducted into the campaign’s first
year suggests that the talktofrank.com website
and the helpline, support and materials have
generally been well-received and have been
considered effective in getting the message
THE LOWDOWN
FRANK AND THE
CAMPAIGN MESSAGE
FRANK has been researched intensively through
every stage of its development with
representative samples from various segments
of the target audience in different locations
(metropolitan, urban and provincial) across
England. Throughout, the research has sought
views on the nature of FRANK and the
campaign as a whole, as well as exploring
reactions to specific activities such as the radio
and TV adverts, print and ambient materials.
Approximately 320 teenagers and 100 parents
- with varying attitudes to drugs and a range of
experiences of them - have been interviewed
to date. Discussion groups have also taken
place with 110 stakeholders (including
representatives from DATs, GODTs/Government
Departments and NGOs) and a cross-section
of 188 vulnerable or marginalised young
people (aged 12-23 years). This included care
leavers, young offenders, young homeless living
in hostels, school excludees and truants,
children of drug-using parents, refugees and
sex workers. It also comprised a wide cross-
section of black and minority ethnic groups
and mixed races.
8 FRANK Action Update – Happy Birthday FRANK!
across. Studies have analysed the reaction to
FRANK from both young people and from those
who work with them, as well as from parents
and carers. Over the next pages we have
extracted some of the main findings.
COMMON VIEWS ABOUT
FRANK
Teenagers and parents of all backgrounds
shared many views about FRANK and it is useful
to bear the following key perceptions in mind
when developing your local FRANK activities.
• FRANK’s warm, human and empathetic
character makes it easier for people to make
contact
• for all young people FRANK’s credibility rests
on seeming to ‘know the score’ in relation
to drugs
• FRANK also understands what it’s really like
to be a teenager, or a parent of teenagers
• FRANK does not (and should not) judge,
lecture, or instruct
• humour is a powerful tool, although drugs are
not a laughing matter
• the name ‘FRANK’ has connotations which
describe the type of conversation those who
make contact would like to have (eg open,
honest and down to earth)
VULNERABLE AND
MARGINALISED YOUNG PEOPLE
Some marginalised young people raised
certain points that are particularly important
to take into consideration when trying reach
them with the FRANK message.
Vulnerable or marginalised young people
are likely to have different attitudes towards
using FRANK. Many already have access to
information and support about drugs through
professional youth and drugs workers who
they trust.
When it comes to drug use, these groups are
at risk at a much younger age than for the
general population.
The tone and content of any FRANK
communications specifically for vulnerable
or marginalised groups needs to take
account of their special experiences of life
and use of drugs. Many find it difficult to
associate ClassA drugs with humour in any
way since they have often witnessed at first
hand the misery and desperation that can
be brought about by problematic drug use.
Apart from those who live rough most of the
time, marginalised young people are similar
to other teenagers in their exposure to a wide
range of media.
Ambient and outdoor media is particularly
appropriate for targeting all teenagers and
particularly for vulnerable or marginalised
young people. Stickers on lampposts and in
bus shelters, posters in pubs and clubs and in
toilets, and other such approaches, can reach
young people in their own environment, and
in places where drugs are likely to be
encountered and used.
SUGGESTIONS FROM
MARGINALISED YOUNG PEOPLE
ON DRUGS COMMUNICATION
• help to counteract the influence of peers
which makes young people feel they
must take drugs in order to ‘fit in’
• attack the perception that dealers are
‘your mates’ and care about their customers
and the purity of the drugs they sell
• communicate the ease with which it is
possible for young people to make a few
‘wrong choices’ and destroy their health,
employment prospects, ties with their
families and friends and even, at worst,
find themselves homeless and/or turning to
theft and prostitution to feed their habit.
WWW.DRUGS.GOV.UK
People registering for the FRANK campaign via
www.drugs.gov.uk have been from a wide
variety of professions ranging from health care,
counselling, outreach and rehabilitation to
police, parents and carers. Almost 45% work in
education, health promotion, youth work and
primary care. The campaign page of
www.drugs.gov.uk is the 8th most viewed page
on the site.
The two most popular campaign leaflets
ordered through the website are:
•Drugs – What the Law Says
•FRANK Action Update – Cannabis
FRANK Action Update – Happy Birthday FRANK! 9
 VITAL STATISTICS

THE WEBSITE
www.talktofrank.com has received 1.5 million
visitors since it went live in May 2003. It offers a
plain speaking guide to drugs and how to get
help as a user, concerned friend or relative.
And, the site has won a Yahoo! award for best
educational site. In a survey of those drugs
workers who had attended FRANK briefings or
registered on the website:

• 70% had logged on to www.talktofrank.com

• 74% of those found it very good or fairly good
to use
• 71% thought that the information was very
good or fairly good
• 58% thought it was very good or fairly good as
a gateway to information or support services

THE HELPLINE – 0800 77 66 00

From its launch in May 2003 to the end of The top five query categories were:
March 2004, the FRANK helpline (open 24 hours
a day) received over 380,000 calls. In an
average month, the helpline deals with a wide
variety of requests for information and advice Male Female
on a host of drug-related issues. Here are
figures from February 2004 to give you an idea 25
of a typical month’s activity:
Cannabis reclassification 6% of calls

Total number of calls in the month: 38,213

20
Average number of calls per day: 1318
Drugs (not specific) 6% of calls
Cannabis general 23% of calls

Cannabis general 20% of calls

16% of callers were aged 16-25, the largest

single group
13% of callers were aged 26-35, the second 15
largest group
Cocaine 10% of calls

Cocaine 12% of calls

Heroin 10% of calls

Heroin 14% of calls

Ecstasy 6% of calls

Crack 6% of calls

10
The most popular requests for literature
from the helpline were:
1 ‘The Score: Facts about Drugs’ 5
2 ‘Drugs the Facts (age 11 to 14)’
3 ‘A parents guide to drugs and alcohol’
%

10 FRANK Action Update – Happy Birthday FRANK!

SOME TYPICAL CALLS AND FRANK’S RESPONSE.
Caller profile: Male 44 years
Call duration: 7 minutes
“I’m concerned about my 12-year-old son.
I think he may be using drugs. It might be
cannabis but I’m not sure. My neighbour told
me that he had caught my son with a group
of boys sniffing fumes from a tin can over a
fire and he has become sullen, and is getting
thrown out of school classes and getting very
aggressive.”
said…
The adviser told the caller that this sounded
more like solvent misuse but not to discount
cannabis either. He gave the caller details of
the effects and risks of both and advised him
to sit down with his son and have a discussion
about drugs. He also gave the caller contacts
for a parent support group and ‘Re-solv’ for
solvent misuse.
Caller profile: Female 65 years
Call duration: 20 minutes
“My grandson is using cocaine on a daily
basis. I am really worried about him and
would like some information regarding the
help that is available for him.”
said…
The adviser discussed the situation with the
caller and information was given regarding
the effects, risks and withdrawal from cocaine.
Caller profile: Male 21 years
Call duration: 10 minutes
“I am withdrawing from heroin and want to know
some of the side effects that I may expect.”
said…
The adviser advised on some of the effects
the caller may encounter and how long they
may last. They discussed at length how he has
been coping on a daily basis and what kind
of support he has from family and friends. He
has been attending a local drug agency for
ongoing support, but due to the withdrawal
symptoms he has been unable to leave the
house at the present time. He feels that he is
making progress and has been offered a flat
from his local housing office, giving him the
opportunity to regain his independence
and boost his self-confidence as he is living
with his mum at the moment. The adviser
felt it was a very positive call, giving support
and encouragement when appropriate.
The adviser suggested she try to discuss the
matter calmly with her grandson. Advice was
given regarding the psychological addiction
to cocaine. The adviser highlighted the role
of drug agencies, so that she could pass this
information on to him, and also to possibly
seek some support for herself and other
members of the family.
FRANK Action Update – Happy Birthday FRANK! 11
 VITAL STATISTICS
SEMINARS AND BRIEFINGS
The FRANK seminars and briefing meetings
were designed to engage and inspire anyone
who works with drugs and young people and
have taken place in Exeter, Newcastle, London,
Manchester, Birmingham, Derby and Liverpool
to date. Feedback from the first round of
seminars, which took place prior to the launch,
has been extremely encouraging. 92% of those
who attended found the briefings useful and
89% of those expressed interest in attending
future briefings. Presentations from the seminars
are available to download from
www.drugs.gov.uk/campaign/information
/MeetFRANK.
It was good to see examples of the adverts
and designs and understand the thinking
behind them.
It was interesting to hear the background to
the rebranding and be reassured that this has
come from a group of young people. I was
pleased that the campaign had been road
tested, as it were, with young people and
taken their views and opinions into account.
I think I got enthusiasm from it. I came away
feeling like ‘yes, this is really positive and it is
something that is alive.’
Campaign briefings will continue to take
place on an ongoing basis. See the regular
e-mail updates for details of dates and venues.
their local action. 70% of these feel that this has
12 FRANK Action Update – Happy Birthday FRANK!
FRANK ACTION UPDATES
FRANK Action Updates have been produced
on a regular basis throughout the first year of
the campaign, each focusing on a specific
theme, such as cannabis, diversity or the family.
The Updates are designed to help FRANK be
incorporated into local drugs awareness
activities. The packs include statistics on the
issues covered, examples of good practice and
ideas for local action and media work. The
responses from those using the packs have
been generally positive and some useful
suggestions for improvements have been put
forward. Naturally, different people use the packs
in different ways depending upon the time and
resources available to them. Elements of the
Updates that stakeholders have particularly
liked include profiles of work by other projects
(Movers and Shakers) and the activity sheets,
especially for showing practical examples when
training workers to engage with young people.
Feedback has indicated that some projects
may be put off by some of the more ambitious
ideas due to lack of resources. In response to this,
we have included a broader selection of
‘Movers and Shakers’ and, in the ‘Ideas for Action’
section and loose sheets, you will find suggestions
for tailoring your activities in line with your
resources. For easy reference, we have termed
them level 1, level 2 and level 3.
57% of workers have incorporated FRANK into
been successful.
THE YEAR AHEAD
NEWSFLASH! FRANK
STAKEHOLDER COMPETITION
The FRANK Stakeholder Awards launch on
Monday 24th May to recognise all the hard
work put in by local projects and to kickstart
the campaign into year two. The closing date
for nominations is 18th June 2004, after which
all the nominated projects will be presented
for you to vote on the project of your choice.
There will be one winner from each region,
and an overall national winner. See the
FRANK action update e-mail for more details.
Nominating a project
Log on to www.drugs.gov.uk/Campaign/
Awards/Form and nominate a project you
feel has made a valuable contribution to the
FRANK campaign. The project should have
already commenced but does not have to
be fully completed. You can submit as many
projects as you like (including your own!) but
each project should only be submitted once.
Terms: (i) The winners should be prepared to take part in
some promotional activity, although anonymity of clients
will be respected. (ii) All nominations may be used by
the FRANK campaign in published materials to
demonstrate best practice. (iii) We reserve the right to
edit and reject nominations for publication.
SPECIAL EDITION – FRANK BIRTHDAY ITEMS
To celebrate FRANK’s 1st
birthday, 3 special items are
included with this pack – a
card, poster and ‘stamps’.
Birthday card
Send a FRANK Birthday card to colleagues
or anyone who has supported your work this
year or to send along with invitations to a
FRANK birthday party or event (see Ideas for
Action). Additional copies are available to
order – see the More FRANK form at the back
Year two of the campaign will seek to build on
the successes and learning from the first year.
Advertising and media activity will take place
throughout the summer to coincide with school
holidays, and additional ambient media items
will be developed. This year, FRANK is also looking
to strengthen its partnership activities and, to
date, the following initiatives are planned.
• FRANK partnerships with Sainsbury's
• FRANK branded competition on Channel U TV
• FRANK tissue packs at festivals
• FRANK branded case study to feature on
mykindaplace website
• FRANK partnership with Habbo hotel website
Themes for FRANK Action Updates will include
understanding crack, communicating with
hard-to-reach groups, health and Christmas,
diversity 2, community in partnership and music,
fashion and design. In addition, FRANK seminars
and briefings will run throughout Autumn 2004
to keep you updated on the latest news,
research and developments of FRANK. They will
include research findings, details of new creative
developments and the opportunity to share
good practice with other organisations. Look
out for the FRANK update emails for further
information, dates and venues nearer the time.
of this pack or call 08701 555 455 and quote
product code 40120).
Display your ‘We are One’ poster in your
workplace to remind people of their
contribution to the campaign. You could use
the FRANK ‘stamps’ on any correspondence
you send around the time of FRANK’s
birthday or for any event that you are
organising to mark the next phase of your
local campaigning.
FRANK Action Update – Happy Birthday FRANK! 13
 IDEAS FOR ACTION

CAMPAIGN PLANNER
As the FRANK campaign enters its second year, now is a good time to take
stock, to look back on the past year’s activities and build on your successes.
This campaign planner helps you to identify one of three levels of action
you can take, depending upon the time and resources available to you:
level 1, level 2 or level 3. All of the ideas for action in the following pages
can be tailored accordingly.

The levels are simply a guide to help you set your
goals. Budgets, time and resources available will
differ from project to project and at different
times of the year so you will be able to invest in
a campaign initiative more at some times than
others. You may also find that your resources
are a mixture of the levels. For example, you
may have level 3 staffing but level 1 in terms of
funds. However, it can be useful to ask yourself
the following questions as a guideline to judge
the overall level most appropriate for you.
WHAT DO I REALISTICALLY WANT
TO ACHIEVE WITH THIS CAMPAIGN?
Level 1
I want to make more local people aware
of the services we offer.
Level 2
I want to make more local people aware
of the services we offer and to develop new
relationships with other organisations working
in the field.
Level 3
I want to make more local people aware of
the services we offer and to develop new
relationships with other organisations working
in the field. I also want to generate high levels
of media coverage and to establish a more
prominent position for my organisation in the
community. I want this to be ongoing and
longer term and to build over time.
WHAT STAFFING DO I HAVE?
Level 1
Fairly limited and we are all stretched
to breaking point.
Level 2
Fairly limited but we would be willing to devote
a bit more time to local campaigns.
Level 3
I can commit people to campaigning who
are proactive and organised and able to give
a fair amount of time to planning, organising
and monitoring any campaigns.
WHAT RESOURCES DO I HAVE?
Level 1
Fairly limited, and largely committed to existing
projects.
Level 2
We have a bit of spare budget that could
be used for campaigning.
Level 3
We can allocate funds and resources to an
ongoing campaign. We can make sure it is
budgeted for and monitored.

14 FRANK Action Update – Happy Birthday FRANK!

WHAT EXISTING LOCAL RELATIONSHIPS
DO I HAVE WITH OTHER ORGANISATIONS
IN THE FIELD?
Level 1
None to speak of.
Level 2
One or two and looking to develop these.
Level 3
We have good working relationships with
several local organisations and are keen
to develop these and others further.
GENERAL TIPS ON PLANNING YOUR CAMPAIGN
Look back
What did you do in the first year of the campaign
that worked really well? Why did it work?
Research
What do you want to communicate in FRANK’s
second year? Are there any ideas from previous
Action Updates which grab your attention?
Brainstorm ideas with colleagues. Look at events
happening in the coming year in your area
that could provide possible links with what you
want to do. Look through local papers for the
types of stories they are covering. Think about
national stories that cover the issues you work
with and see if there could be a local angle.
Goals
Set yourself campaign goals which are realistic
given your time and resources. These could be
short, medium and long term.
WHAT RELATIONSHIP DO I HAVE WITH
THE LOCAL MEDIA?
Level 1
None to speak of.
Level 2
They have covered our work on the odd
occasion. Would like more positive coverage.
Level 3
We have fairly regular contact with them and
know one or two journalists reasonably well.
They have covered our work in the past and
we are hoping to get some more prominent
coverage in the future.
Schedule
Break down any actions you need to take into
manageable chunks. Work backwards from the
date of your campaign action to where you
are now. Set deadlines.
Measure
Monitor the results of your actions.
Evaluate
Look back on your campaign action. Make a
note of what was successful and what wasn’t.
Do not get discouraged if something wasn’t as
successful as you had hoped. This could be for
any number of reasons outside your control.
Learn and share
Take on board any lessons learnt and bear them
in mind for the next action. Share any good
ideas with the FRANK team.
FRANK Action Update – Happy Birthday FRANK! 15
 IDEAS FOR ACTION

We hope that the ideas in this section help to kick start your own thinking
about media and public awareness work relating to FRANK’s first year. Under
each suggestion we have given three example options indicating how you
can tailor this activity according to the level you feel is appropriate. You may
also find that some of the material on festivals, summer holidays and
fundraising in the loose sheets in the back of this Update may help you.

THE MEDIA LOVE…. FESTIVALS ARE COMING

Statistics! Some of the facts and figures on the
take–up of FRANK have been impressive. The
media love using statistics, because readers like
to read them. Celebrate the first year of FRANK
and the work you have been doing over the
past year by aiming to get local media
coverage. Use statistics from this pack in your
press release and, if you can, add some of your
own statistics on the work you have been doing.
Level 1 – create a simple press release using one
of the many samples available from FRANK
and send it out to your local press.
Level 2 – hold a ‘birthday’ party to celebrate
FRANK’s 1st year and invite the press along
– tell them your plans for the coming year.
Level 3 – offer a number of interviews with young
people as part of a wider feature (or series)
on drugs and the services you offer locally.
FRANK NEEDS YOU!
The Campaign Team are working to get
FRANK into the press and lifestyle magazines
too, but we need your help. We’re looking
for young people or parents who would be
prepared to speak to the press or even have
their story featured. If you think you can help
please email frank@homeoffice.gsi.gov.uk
or call 020 7273 3833 – free media training
is available.
The festival season will soon be upon us as the
weather warms up and the nights get lighter.
Festivals are of course places where thousands
of young people congregate to have a great
time and so are ideal for communicating
the FRANK message to an important target
audience. The statistics on the first year of FRANK
can provide a new hook to communicate
with people at these festivals through ambient
media.“1.5 million visits to talktofrank.com.
Have you been there?” This message tells
people that there is no stigma or weakness
about contacting FRANK, as so many other
people have already done it.
Level 1 – incorporate the statistics on FRANK’s
first year into any existing literature and try
to get festivals to have some available.
Level 2 – see if club and festival organisers
would include any of your literature in any
mail–outs they may do to promote the event.
Level 3 – try to get a prominent presence
at local festivals with new materials printed with
messages related to the first year of FRANK. See
if the organisers would allow the message to be
printed on ticketing, or would let you hand out
materials. Try to get the FRANK logo printed on
any flyers or advertising for the event.

16 FRANK Action Update – Happy Birthday FRANK!

 ON THE BUSES
Consider public transport as an ideal place to
advertise FRANK. It is used disproportionately
by young people, most of whom will be bored
and looking for something to read!
Gateshead drug workers advertised FRANK
on the outside and inside of buses. They also
had ads on tickets and bus shelters and on
the metro system and even a drugs stand at
the bus terminus. Thousands of people use
the routes each day providing excellent
exposure for the FRANK message.
FINALS FINALS
‘A’ levels and university exams are upon students
in May and June and this is a time of extreme
pressure when temptations to use drugs can be
high. If you live in an area with a large student
population, this may be a good time to push
the FRANK message. Think about areas where
students congregate or live, such as halls of
residence, union bars, student pubs, libraries,
bookshops, launderettes, fast food restaurants.
Don’t forget the FRANK Action Update ‘Drugs
–the deal for students’ has a variety of ideas
you could use.
Level 1 – contact the student counselling
services make sure they have up to date
copies of your materials.
Level 2 – see if shops in areas with high student
populations would consider having FRANK
literature on their counters.
Level 3 – consider getting bookmarks printed
with FRANK information or specially tailored
booklets on drugs to be given away free in
bookshops and college libraries.
FEELING FRISKY?
Early summer sees the second highest levels of
condom sales after Christmas, so trying to
establish links with local chemists could be a
good way of targeting young people. And
don’t forget that the summer exodus to
overseas clubbing hotspots is also often
accompanied by increased and often more
risky sexual behaviour.
Level 1 – see if local chemists would be willing
to display FRANK literature near condoms or
hangover remedies.
Level 2 – arrange to give talks in schools or
colleges on the theme of drug use and sex.
Level 3 – link up with local clubs and get them
to display and distribute FRANK materials and
provide a chill–out area where staff can give
advice on drugs.
GET AMBIENT
Now could be a time to think about creative
ways of communicating the FRANK
message.‘Ambient Media’ is a term for
support media such as postcards, sweets,
pens, hats etc, which all have the FRANK
message on them somewhere and are given
out free to young people. The FRANK Pubs
and Clubs kit contains a useful selection of
ambient media items. Or, why not develop
your own?
The Government Office Eastern Region have
produced a wide variety of ambient media
options including mouse mats, notepads,
post it notes, balloons, wallets, key rinks, glow
in the dark whistles, sticks of rock, beach
balls, beanie hats, FRANK teddy bears and
FRANK–branded water bottles.
FRANK Action Update – Happy Birthday FRANK! 17
 GOOD SPORT
Sport and the message on drugs go particularly
well together as sport can offer young people
a practical, fun and healthy alternative to
drugs. Many organisations are already involved
with the Positive Futures initiative which has
been running since 2000. As well as linking with
this programme, there are other ways to link in
with sports activities.
Level 1 – contact the organisers of any local
sports training sessions or competitions and see
if they could carry any FRANK literature with the
literature they publish to promote their activities.
Level 2 – contact local sports clubs and offer to
give a talk on drugs and health.
Level 3 – organise a ‘FRANK Cup’ in a sport of
your choosing. Link in with local schools, colleges
and clubs to see if they want to enter a team.
LOOKING UP?
Consider working with your local police in
original ways to get the FRANK number
lodged in the memory of offenders.
Realising that detainees in police cells spend
considerable amounts of time lying on their
beds staring at the ceiling, Wiltshire
Constabulary Custody and Case Project
came up with a project called CEILING. They
have placed the FRANK logo and telephone
number on the ceilings of a number of
police cells. They have found that the
detainees have then been able to
remember the name and number of FRANK
several weeks later.
18 FRANK Action Update – Happy Birthday FRANK!
CASE STUDY:
The Drugs Team at the Government Office
for the East of England approached
Cambridge United Football Club to see if they
would help to support the FRANK message.
The club is active in community public
relations and a letter was sent to the Chief
Executive asking him how he could help. A
meeting was arranged with the Marketing
Manager, and the club were keen to get
involved. FRANK was offered an advertising
hoarding for the whole of the 2003/04
season at a cost of £1,500. It was also
agreed that FRANK would sponsor a home
game, which would include pre-match
advertising of FRANK on notice boards and
the club website, a half page advert in the
match programme and a media-call on the
Thursday before the game with the team
photographed in FRANK t-shirts. A
photoshoot was also arranged with a couple
of key players in front of the advertising
hoarding. An article was featured in the
Cambridge Evening News and there were
pieces on three local radio stations.
HOLIDAY
Trips abroad by young people to clubbing
hotspots such as Ibiza are often linked with
experimentation with drugs by new users
and increased consumption by existing ones
(see the Action Update: ‘Summer: Feel the
Heat’ for detailed information). Think about
how to communicate a ‘pre–trip’ message
as people begin to book up their travels.
Level 1 – contact local travel agents and ask
if they display existing FRANK materials or
offer literature to young people booking trips
to any obvious clubbing hotspots. They may
even agree to send out a FRANK credit card
with holiday tickets.
Level 2 – put together a simple press release
and fact sheet on gearing up for summer
clubbing and distribute it via local youth
organisations.
Level 3 – link in with a local art and design
college and run a competition to design a
suite of materials on ‘safer holiday clubbing’.
Try to get sponsorship from local businesses
for prizes and to fund the production of the
chosen designs or mount an exhibition.
HEAD FOR THE BEACH
If you are based in a seaside town then
consider promoting FRANK on the beach.
The Government Office South West Team really
made the most of their location.One day in July a
team of enthusiastic diggers carved the name
FRANK into the sands at Newquay in huge letters.
They were then on hand to distribute FRANK
goodie bags to intrigued passers by.The initiative
was headline news on BBC Radio Cornwall
every half–hour all morning and had a live
interview on a prime 8am slot. They also had a
headline slot on the local TV news at 6pm and
10pm, and were covered in 3 local papers.
PEER EDUCATION
Getting young people involved in the design
and delivery of campaign materials can
be a very effective way of getting the
message across.
This was certainly the experience of drugs
workers in Telford, Shropshire.They launched
a Young Person’s Harm Reduction Campaign
called Project Peace and Harmony. The
project was designed by young people from
a NACRO Youth Forum. They were tasked with
researching and then designing leaflets and
posters to communicate the key message
of the campaign, particularly issues around
harm reduction and appropriate reactions
to overdose situations. Over 500 of the leaflets
were distributed at the launch. These all
contained the harm reduction message as
well as the FRANK telephone number
and web address. Even parents came along
to the launch and were given leaflets and
advice. The benefits were effectively twofold,
with the young people who designed the
materials learning about the issues in depth,
as well as those who attended the launch
and took away materials.
Don’t forget that other FRANK resources
contain lots more ideas for local action.
Materials can be ordered using the More
FRANK order form at the back of this
Update, or online at www.drugs.gov.uk
(whereyou can also download the Tool Kit,
Activity Sheets, Fact Sheets, FRANK logo
and brand guidelines).
FRANK Action Update – Happy Birthday FRANK! 19
 USEFUL RESOURCES
Adfam
Charity supporting families affected by drugs
and alcohol. Range of resources including
publications and videos, a family newsletter,
email group and online messageboard
☎ Tel 020 7928 8898
www.adfam.org.uk
Contraceptive Education Service
Advice, support and referrals on a whole range
of sexual health issues provided by the fpa
☎ Tel 0845 310 1334 (Mon – Fri 9am – 7pm)
Crime Reduction Unit
Online information resource on issues of crime
reduction and advice on how to stay safe.
Provided by the Home Office
www.crimereduction.gov.uk
Department of Health
☎ Publications Order Line: 08701 555 455
www.doh.gov.uk
Drugscope
UK centre of expertise on drugs. Conduct
research and seek to improve knowledge on
drugs-related issues and have an extensive
library of drug information
☎ Tel 020 7928 1211
www.drugscope.org.uk
FPA
Charity providing help and information
on sexual health, pregnancy and emergency
contraception
☎ Tel 020 7837 4044
www.fpa.org.uk
Know Before You Go
Campaign from the Foreign and
Commonwealth Office containing
information, tips and advice for travellers
www.fco.gov.uk/knowbeforeyougo
20 FRANK Action Update – Happy Birthday FRANK!
Positive Futures
A national sports-based social inclusion
programme for young people, aged 10-19,
offering opportunities to engage in
employment, education and training through
local partnerships with charities, local
authorities, schools, police and sports clubs
☎ 020 7273 3637
www.positivefutures.gov.uk
Safer Clubbing
Booklet produced by the Home Office and
the London Drug Policy Forum. Download from
www.drugs.gov.uk
Sex Lottery Campaign
Help and advice from the NHS on safer sex
☎ Sexual Health Line: 0800 567 123
www.playingsafely.co.uk
The Site
A guide to life for 16 – 25 year olds
www.thesite.org.uk
The Chillout Collective
A group of drug workers, health workers, legal
advisers, researchers, artists and activists who
provide support at clubs and festivals for those
experiencing drug-related problems
www.thechilloutcollective.co.uk
And don’t forget talktofrank.com for
information and advice on drugs. You can
also download copies of previous FRANK Action
Updates and other FRANK materials from
www.drugs.gov.uk/campaign
This listing is provided for information only. Inclusion does not
imply endorsement of resources listed.