Intoxicated young people who turn up at the Dunedin Hospital emergency department with injuries or other issues are being treated and referred to a wider support system in what is believed to be a New Zealand first.
Child protection services co-ordinator Gerard Kenny said the HazDrink (Hazardous Drinking in Kids) project was begun earlier this year after anecdotal evidence on the number of intoxicated young people attending the department caused concern.
About one or two people under the age of 17 would come to the department each week with injuries or after having taken sexual risks because of intoxication, Mr Kenny said.
In the past, they had been treated and discharged, but the HazDrink project meant public health nurses were alerted when the young people turned up at the department.
"There are issues about people getting into alcohol at very young ages. We sometimes get quite young people, about 12 or 13, in here."
There was no doubt that since the lowering of the legal drinking age more young people had access to alcohol.
The public health nurses organised a meeting with the young person and their parents and a follow-up with their school, Mr Kenny said.
The aim was to educate the young person in the hope they would learn from their mistake and help the parents with setting limits or sorting out wider family issues.
In some cases, this would mean referrals to other alcohol and drug addiction services, or ongoing help from the public health nurse.
"The question of alcohol and young people is always an issue. Because of our relationship with the emergency department, we see the concerns for our young people."
It is hoped the project will provide concrete figures on the size of the problem.
The first review, at which time statistics will be available, is expected early next year.
It was hoped the same people could be prevented from coming in with the same issues by identifying concerns early.
Mr Kenny said the people showing up at the emergency department represented the "tip of the iceberg", but it was one way the issue could be addressed.
The project was developed by child protection services staff in conjunction with the emergency department and public health nurses.
Mr Kenny understood the project was the first of its kind in New Zealand.
There had been reports of similar projects in Australia operating on a small scale but nothing in New Zealand.
Other centres in New Zealand had shown interest in adopting the idea, he said.
