Implementation rules for the European Prevention Curriculum (EUPC)

The EMCDDA’s responsibility for the fidelity and accessibility of the EUPC brand

EU projects related to the EUPC have been following an open source, public-domain philosophy of providing products paid for by EU citizens’ taxes to the public as free of costs as possible. The rules outlined here serve to guarantee that the EUPC training can be rolled out in the public interest with high quality and fidelity. They aim to prevent EUPC training being diluted, misused, or used for primarily commercial purposes, or simply used and taught by people who might not be qualified to do so. The EUPC's aim is to grow and cultivate a community of trainers from UPC-Adapt, ASAP-Training and follow-up projects with a common philosophy, values and identity, as an EUPC brand, overseen by the EAB.

The EU-funded UPC-Adapt and ASAP-Training projects have transferred the relevant proprietary rights for their outputs in all languages to the EMCDDA in order to preserve their legacy of guaranteeing the fidelity of EUPC implementation and consistent credentialing of EUPC trainers in Europe and beyond. Handing over to the EMCDDA the mandate to disseminate an important part of the deliverables of both these projects has enhanced their sustainability.

The EMCDDA has received from these partners and its national stakeholders the mandate and the authority to implement the EUPC and to assure the respective qualifications of trainers, because the EMCDDA is recognised as an independent body, accountable to the EU and its institutions. For this reason, the EMCDDA implements the EUPC and strives to maintain its quality in the EU and in countries for which it has a mandate for cooperation, such as those taking part in EU4MD, IPA7 and COPOLAD. This safeguards the professionalisation of the prevention workforce called for in the EU action plan on drugs. Professionalisation implies a distinction and distancing from informal and intuitive prevention activism, and from entities that promote it. The EUPC implementation rules therefore do not intend to be inclusive towards all actors in the prevention field.

The EMCDDA has established the EUPC advisory board (EAB) as an independent body to give advice and support in regulatory matters. It brings together the stakeholders and originators of the EUPC: APSIntl, UPC-Adapt, EUSPR and ASAP-Training. The EAB has the regulatory authority to decide on the licencing of EUPC trainers, both at national and European level.

EUPC trainings target decision-, opinion- and policymakers (DOPs), whose decisions about prevention and its funding can have far-reaching consequences. Therefore consistent information and narratives from acknowledged trainers is essential to ensure that the training of this influential group leads to the implementation of better prevention measures. Inaccurate information about optimal prevention choices can lead to much worse outcomes if conveyed to decision-makers than to university students.

Only EMCDDA-acknowledged EUPC trainers – listed on the EMCDDA website – may use EUPC materials for delivering EUPC training and issue EUPC attendance certificates.

Criteria for selecting trainers should be based on the prevention system in each country. Since the EUPC targets DOPs, the trainers should be in a position where they can influence such people and are recognised by them, but they should also be available for delivering training. ‘Experience in prevention’, is an important but non-sufficient criterion for selecting or assessing the suitability of trainers. Experience in other fields (treatment, ‘demand reduction’) is not a criterion to be taken into consideration for this purpose.

National trainers: opportunities and requirements

Opportunities

National trainers can:

• deliver EUPC training (basic modules, advanced modules, by face-to-face or online trainings, or by e-learning)
  • in their own country and the respective language,
  • to decision-, opinion- and policymakers or in academic settings from their own country;
• issue attendance certificates for 2-day basic modules;
• issue successful completion certificates (after a test) for a full EUPC training; and
• recommend particularly promising EUPC trainees for becoming trainers themselves.

Frontline prevention professionals are not considered a target group for the currently available EUPC materials.

Requirements

1. Sufficient proficiency in English in order to attend a training of trainers (ToT) in English.
2. Having successfully completed a full EUPC training (either 5 days, or 2 days plus the PLATO e-learning modules).
3. Having attended one Lisbon ToT (or to have had a key training role in the UPC-Adapt project).
4. Delivering – after completion of their own ToT and full EUPC training – at least one training themselves, with the correct and updated EUPC contents and with correctly identified EUPC or ASAP-Training materials. These must have the EUPC identifier in the header or footer and be based on the EUPC manual. UPC-Adapt materials are not acceptable anymore. The EMCDDA might randomly monitor this requirement, by means of questionnaires sent to a sample of trainees.
5. To comply with the EUPC code of practice.

The target audiences interested in the EUPC are entitled to be assured that they are going to be trained by acknowledged EUPC trainers.

The EMCDDA will therefore publish the names of the national EUPC trainers on the EMCDDA website, which will be updated regularly once the eligible national trainers send us their forms.

EUPC attendance (and successful completion) certificates are only valid if issued by the trainers listed there. These certificates need to carry the EUPC identifier, but not the EMCDDA logo. The EMCDDA can provide a model of such a certificate to trainers. All certificates shall also contain this text:

‘All EUPC trainees are invited to give a very short feedback on their EUPC training directly to the EMCDDA. If you are interested, please send an e-mail to eupc@emcdda.europa.eu with the subject “EUPC feedback [your language]”. We will then contact you with a mini-feedback form, if possible in your language.’

All EUPC trainers hold trainings only representing themselves as EUPC trainers, as opposed to their affiliation or employment.

Organisations that support the training delivery events shall be duly acknowledged (e.g. by logos) in all communications. Such communication,  however, shall not be written in a way that implies or suggests that the supporting partners are considered as an evocation of training providers.

Accordingly, the logos and identifiers of supporting organisations can not appear on the attendance and successful completion certificates unless otherwise agreed with the EMCDDA.

In recognition of their work in developing and testing the UPC-Adapt outputs and those from the ASAP Training, we recognise contributing partners with a key training role from both these EU projects as national trainers, provided that they are delivering training with EUPC materials and comply with the EUPC code of practice.

If they wish and if it is in the strategic interests of the EMCDDA/EAB, national trainers who fulfil the respective criteria below can attend one more ToT in order to be recognised by the EMCDDA/EAB as national EUPC master trainers (to be able to train trainers themselves). The rationale is that we want to see all future national EUPC master trainers at least once in order to jointly discuss and update common delivery strategies, narratives, experiences and quality aspects (such as attitudes, skills and behaviour of future trainers). This applies also to developers of ongoing online (e-learning) versions.

National EUPC master trainer: opportunities and requirements

For the definition and selection criteria of national master trainers, the respective requirements listed in the EUPC code of practice have been outlined and detailed here, in the following rules:

Opportunities

As for national trainers, and:

• National EUPC master trainers can train national trainers in their own country.
• For this purpose, national master trainers can set up a training system in their country, e.g. train trainers from their own country.
• They can not deliver EUPC trainings at international events.
• They have to deliver ToTs together with another national master trainer who shall not be from the same organisation.
• They hold trainings only representing themselves as EUPC trainers, as opposed to their affiliation or employment. Organisations that support the training delivery events shall be duly acknowledged (e.g. by logos) in all communications. Such communication,  however, shall not be written in a way that implies or suggests that the supporting partners are considered as an evocation of training providers. Accordingly, the logos and identifiers of supporting organisations can not appear on the attendance and successful completion certificates unless otherwise agreed with the EMCDDA.
• They inform the EAB and EMCDDA about the new national trainers trained and provide a profile of their national trainers so that they can be published on the EMCDDA’s website.
• If they train trainers themselves, European master trainers should consider themselves responsible for the attitudes, behaviours and messages of 'their' trainers, since they represent the code of practice of the EUPC and the brand identity of the EMCDDA towards the outside world.
• Their certificates need to carry the EUPC identifier, and can have the EMCDDA logo.

Requirements

1. Excellent proficiency in English.
2. Being a national trainer.
3. Having delivered trainings to DOPs or students for a minimum of one year after becoming a national trainer.
4. Having co-delivered trainings with another EUPC Master trainer in a successful and engaging way.
5. Having passed at least two ToTs (or belong to the EUPC developers).
6. Being endorsed by relevant national authorities in partnership with the EMCDDA.
7. Being able to set up the necessary infrastructure for training and recruitment.
8. Having the proven mindset, attitudes, communication and training skills that are expected from a trainer who directly represents the EMCDDA. This includes smooth, effective communication and close cooperation with the EMCDDA and the EAB.
9. Complying with the EUPC code of practice.

In order to become national master trainers, national trainers also need to show essential additional soft skills, such as a good perception of group dynamics, the ability to conduct group exercises with adults, creative group problem-solving, having a learning attitude and self-reflection, a good balance of instructive and empathic approaches, a deep understanding of EUPC core components, processes and messages, a perspective of availability to prepare, travel, deliver and report on training workshops at a frequency of at least three events per year.

European EUPC master trainer: opportunities and requirements

Opportunities

• European Master Trainers are ambassadors of a European approach to evidence-based prevention (hence their name) and often represent the EMCDDA when doing trainings. They hold trainings in countries of interest and mandate of the EMCDDA, after confirmation by the EMCDDA. For the nomination as European Master Trainers, strategic considerations and priorities of the EMCDDA and its stakeholders are therefore considered, in consultation with the EAB, alongside with the criteria below.
• European EUPC master trainers can train DOPs in and from countries beyond their own, in English or other languages that they master with sufficient proficiency for the purpose.
• They inform the EAB and EMCDDA about the new national trainers trained and offer a profile of their national trainers so that they can be published on the EMCDDA’s website.
• European master trainers can recommend trainees who have the potential to become trainers.
• European master trainers can set up a training system in countries of interest and mandate of the EMCDDA, e.g. train trainers. If they train trainers themselves, European master trainers should consider themselves responsible for the attitudes, behaviours and messages of 'their' trainers, since they represent the code of practice of the EUPC and the brand identity of the EMCDDA towards the outside world.
• Their certificates need to carry the EUPC identifier and the EMCDDA logo, but not those of organisations supporting their trainings.

Requirements

1. Excellent proficiency in English and of the language of interest for the training.
2. Being a national master trainer.
3. Having co-delivered trainings with an existing European master trainer in a successful and engaging way.
4. Having passed at least two ToTs.
5. Being endorsed by the EMCDDA.
6. Being able to set up the necessary infrastructure for training and recruitment.
7. Having the proven mindset, attitudes, communication and training skills that are expected from a trainer who directly represents the EMCDDA. This includes smooth, effective communication and close cooperation with the EMCDDA and the EAB.
8. Having the appropriate cultural adaptation skills in order to adjust the training delivery to other countries.
9. Complying with the EUPC code of practice.

Trainings for national and master trainers

Trainings of trainers (ToTs) are currently being held annually in Lisbon at the EMCDDA premises. No fee is charged to attend a ToT, but participants are responsible for their own travel and accommodation costs. The flowchart below (also available as a PDF) explains how one can become a national and European master trainer for EUPC (i.e. one who can train other trainers). The first column spells out who can be admitted for ToTs. Professionals who fulfil the criteria need to consent to the EUPC code of conduct and practice, fill in this application form and the declaration of interest form, and send both to EUPC[at]emcdda.europa.eu. They will be informed whether and when they can participate in a ToT. The EMCDDA prioritises the training of national trainers in order to build up EUPC offers in its countries of interest.

Courses that give access to ToTs in Lisbon

The EMCDDA recognises as 'EUPC courses' those whose materials are fully in line with the EUPC manual and have been checked and recognised by the EAB. Such courses need to have been delivered by a European master trainer or a national trainer with the respective attendance certificate, either fully as face-to-face training or with three e-learning modules delivered via PLATO. We also recognise the original UPC course 'introduction into prevention science', if delivered by APSIntl or their recognised trainers.

Only candidates trained with EUPC materials will have access to the training of trainers scheme as outlined in the flowchart. This applies also to online/e-learning versions: they have to be fully in line with the contents of the EUPC manual, i.e. not with those of the previous UPC-Adapt materials.

For admission to ToTs, we might need to prioritise trainers from countries where we do not yet have any national trainers.

Who can train whom?

Only national or European EUPC master trainers can train new EUPC trainers, in English or in any other language in which they are fluent. As with the current national trainers, national and European master trainers can directly train DOPs or university students (academic version) in their country.

European EUPC master trainers must inform the EAB and obtain its consent before delivering any EUPC course outside of their own country.

List of trainers and master trainers

An up-to-date list of trainers may be found on the EUPC list of trainers and master trainers page. 

EUPC Advisory Board (EAB)

The EAB assists, supports and advises the EMCDDA on matters of admission to EUPC trainings of trainers, of credentialing and recognition of EUPC courses and their derivatives, and of licensing EUPC master trainers. The EAB advises the EMCDDA on defining what is to be recognised as 'EUPC', and on defining the requirements for becoming an EUPC trainer.

This advisory board is composed of representatives of UPC-Adapt and ASAP-Training, EUSPR, the EMCDDA and APSIntl, the developers of the original UPC, since these partners were involved in and know the developmental story of the EUPC and the prevention field, our stakeholders and their needs, the practitioners and their realities, in Europe and beyond.

Members of the EAB

Annemie Coone (co-lead of the UPC-Adapt project), Ghent, Belgium - declaration of independence, declaration of interest

Rachele Donini (lead of the ASAP-Training project), Savona, Italy - declaration of interest

Elena Gervilla (scientific lead of the EUSPR), Palma de Mallorca, Spain -  declaration of independence, declaration of interest 

Marica Ferri and Gregor Burkhart (EMCDDA)

Maria Paula Luna (APSintl), Madrid, Spain - declaration of independence, declaration of interest