Troubled youngsters using drugs are receiving new help from one of only a handful of experts in the country specialising in substance misuse among children.

Consultant psychiatrist Dr Norman Malcolm has been appointed as part of efforts by health chiefs to tackle the growing demand for help from Bradford's hard-pressed child and adolescent service in Little Horton Lane.

Half his caseload covers youngsters aged ten and older who tend to use substances including cigarettes, alcohol and solvents, 12-year-olds using cannabis and older teenagers using heroin.

Dr Malcolm said problems of drugs use among young people in Bradford were reflected elsewhere in the country.

Less than five per cent of 1,200 children seen each year by the service - which also deals with children with behavioural difficulties, eating disorders, bereavement, depression and child abuse - were involved in substance misuse.

"There are lots of positives working with young people and the hope is we can set them away from a long-term path and the deterioration into using more serious drugs more chaotically.

"But it is sad to see 15 and 16-year-olds who are addicted to heroin," he said.

"If there is a substance misuse problem in a youngster it's a crystallisation of other difficulties they are having."

He said methods of treatment were significantly different to those used for adult drug users. Treatment was carried out with help from families and carers.

The project was just part of one link in a network across Bradford, including GPs, the Bridge Project and the service provided mainly to older teenagers at Windy Oaks in Bradford, he explained.

Problems among the young could revolve around the family or school life but there were other powerful factors such as peer pressure, low self-esteem, experimentation or fashion. Some children in early stages of drug use could be drifting into crime and prostitution.

It was clear there was often a progression from alcohol and cigarettes in younger children to harder drugs and it was important the problem was tackled early, Dr Malcolm said.

Pat Bleau, whose 16-year-old daughter Chantelle died in December 1997 after sniffing gas lighter fuel, welcomed the appointment although she said often the problem lay in spotting signs of substance abuse.

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.