AERC News Archive
Call for proposals
Social Norms in Welsh Universities
The AERC will be dealing with applications for this project that will establish alcohol – related social norms of students in Welsh Universities. The project aims to explore attitudes and perceptions towards alcohol and to identify suitable interventions to address any misconceptions.
The Welsh Assembly has commissioned Drinkaware to carry out a Wales specific study in Welsh universities, which could, in future, be used as a pilot for a national study. The NUSW (National Union of Students in Wales) would like to be involved and will assist where possible. A small number of universities have been proposed for the study to provide a picture of both urban and rural campuses.
Drinkaware is looking into the development of an electronic web-based personalised feedback intervention, for which the social norms in Wales need to be established. The research and final interventions will need to be bilingual so this must be factored in to the planning process.
Up to £40,000 is available
Deadline for applications is January 6th 2010
Call for proposals
The AERC in partnership with Comic Relief are funding research on gender differences.
In partnership with Comic Relief, the Alcohol Education and Research Council invite submissions of research proposals to address gender differences in drinking patterns, how these may have changed over time, why such a change has occurred and what strategies stand a chance of protecting young men and young women from the harmful consequences of alcohol misuse.
Up to £80,000 is available.
Deadline for applications is January 22nd 2010
Call for Proposals
"National Drinking Cultures"
The Drinkaware Trust (Drinkaware) aims to help change the UK drinking culture for the better. In order to do this, it needs to understand the current culture, or cultures, as it is clear that people across the UK are drinking in very different ways.
There are a number of different reports and reviews that come out each year and contribute to everyone’s understanding of drinking patterns in terms of levels of consumption, harm associated with inappropriate use of alcohol and the impact that this has on UK public services. However, Drinkaware would like to go further and understand how, where, when and - most importantly - why people are drinking in the way they do. Therefore, it has asked the Alcohol Education & Research Council (AERC) to design and then oversee the delivery of a study that will provide:
- a comprehensive review of quantitative and qualitative sources
- original research in order to understand the various subcultures that frame how people are drinking in the UK
The aim of the study is to capture and update understanding of ‘alcohol use cultures’ on an annual basis over at least five years. This will provide a clearer picture of how UK drinking cultures are changing over time, which will aid policymakers, healthcare practitioners and the public to focus upon appropriate interventions. It is intended that the study will also consider possible future trends if these cultures continue and make recommendations for how best to address any increase in harm and encourage any positive trends that are detected.
A total of £100.000 will be made available for the work, which is expected to be delivered by October 2010.
The deadline for applications is December 19th 2009
Click here for further details
AERC funded research: Alcohol Consumption, Mortality and Morbidity
Key findings from Professor Martin Plant, Alcohol Health and Research Unit, Faculty of Health and Sciences, University of the West of England and Alcohol Concern, the national agency on alcohol misuse.
The AERC Seeks 5 Board Members
The Alcohol Education and Research Council was established in 1982 and administers the Alcohol Education and Research Fund, a charitable foundation established by an Act of Parliament to fund education and research projects and novel forms of help to those with drinking problems. The Council seeks to increase awareness of alcohol issues, to facilitate a reduction in alcohol related harm in society and to encourage best practice. Its aim is to make a positive difference to the ways in which society understands and uses alcohol.
We are currently seeking 5 board members who should have an interest in alcohol research, treatment and educational services. All candidates must be an active participant in the affairs of the Council, be able to act as an ambassador for the Council, have a willingness to contribute towards strategic development and have the ability to make a constructive contribution in regard to assessing grant applications and funding priorities.
In particular, we are seeking people from the public, private, voluntary or academic sectors who can bring knowledge of one or more of the following: fundraising; contacts within wealth circles or the business community; accountancy; legal; investment management; marketing and communications; public health inc. relevant funding streams; psychiatric practice in relation to alcohol-harm.
The Council will meet approximately 6-8 days a year, including 3-5 meetings, plus occasional input into consideration of grants applications etc. Initial appointments will be for 3 years. Remuneration is not payable, but members are eligible to claim allowances, at rates set centrally, for travel and subsistence costs necessarily incurred on Council business.
How to apply
If you think you have the qualities we require and want to apply for a post please call 0870 240 3802 during office hours or go to www.appointments.org.uk, quoting reference DH9100C for an information pack and application form (which are available, on request, in large type, Braille or on tape).
Closing date: 12 noon on Tuesday, 15 December 2009.
We value and promote diversity and are committed to equality of opportunity for all and appointments made on merit. We believe that the best boards are those that reflect the communities they serve. We particularly want to hear from women and people from black and minority ethnic communities who are able to make a real contribution to this organisation.
Call for Proposals
Identifying Promising Approaches to be included in Community Interventions
There is increasing evidence that multi-component programmes (MCPs) can be an effective way of impacting on local drinking trends and alcohol-related harms. MCPs have consisted of different groups of projects, targeting different outcomes and there is a need to identify which projects might be most suited and most effective within an MCP. The Alcohol Education & Research Council in collaboration with the Joseph Rowntree Foundation wish to fund a study to identify the most promising projects for inclusion in such a programme.
£40,000 will be made available for this work. We expect the work to take 6 months and we would like the project to commence as soon as possible.
Assessment Process
Applications will be peer-reviewed by a panel of experts from the JRF and the AERC. Consideration will be given to the extent to which proposals align with the call’s remit, scientific quality or methodologies, innovative methods and ideas, expertise of the research team, demonstrated track record of undertaking and delivering work of this nature, potential to contribute and advance the existing research base and value for money.
The deadline for applications is December 1st
Cilck here for further details
Click here for an application form
(Microsoft Word Document)
A One-Day Master-class/Seminar:
Psychological Evidence-Based Approaches to Addiction: Provided by Robin Davidson, John B Davies and Richard Velleman
To be held in London (Russell Hotel, Russell Square, WC1B 5BE), on Monday, 23rd November 2009.
Family Training Programme for Alcohol Misuse 2009
After the great success of the Family Training Programme for Alcohol Misuse last year, Alcohol Concern, in association with Wendy Robinson Consultancy, will be running this training again in 2009.
AERC appoints a Chief Executive
Dave Roberts joins the AERC after ten years as Chief Executive of the Community Foundation for Merseyside, one of the most significant in a UK network of community foundations that is the largest independent funder of the voluntary sector in the UK. In that capacity, he has been responsible for developing partnerships and drawing in funds from a range of public, private and charitable sources and developing award-winning grant making processes. Dave's earlier career had been within regeneration and local government. He lives in North Wales and his time at the AERC will be divided between home and the London office.
Ray Hodgson is still the Research Director
Andrea Tilouche is the Committees and Grants Manager
Dave says: "I am delighted to be joining the AERC at such an exciting time in its development. Alcohol issues are high on the national agenda at the moment and the AERC is determined to play a major role in making sure that the policies that are developed are the right ones. This is an organisation that has achieved a great deal over the last three decades but is now ready to step up a gear and be at the forefront of influencing change; I look forward to helping that to happen.”
Wessex Alcohol Research Collaborative (WARC) to appoint a lay panel.
WARC are aiming to appoint five lay expert members and a Chair to constitute the WARC Lay Expert Panel, and contribute to the research process giving advice from the perspective of people who have (personal or professional) experience of alcohol use disorders.
Download a PDF 
detailing WARCs aims and details of the specifications for Members and Chairperson.
Call for Proposals
Investigating the Effectiveness of Education in Relation to Alcohol
Over the last six months, the Drinkaware Trust (Drinkaware) has been investigating how best to approach and be involved in school based alcohol education across the UK. Several potential organisations and programmes have been brought to their attention. However, in order to make an informed decision about how best to proceed, Drinkaware feels a thorough examination of all methods is needed.
Drinkaware has asked the Alcohol Education & Research Council (AERC) to design and then oversee the delivery of a research study that will help it to examine these methods. It has also provided the AERC with funding for the study. The AERC is now seeking proposals from suitable research teams to undertake the study, which is primarily a systematic review of existing literature.
A total of £44,625 will be made available for the work, which is expected to be delivered in two phases between November 2009 and November 2010.
The deadline for applications is November 5th 2009
Conference announcement
Alcohol and the adolescent: addressing the binge society
Tuesday 8 September 2009
Venue: The Royal Society of Medicine, 1 Wimpole Street, London, W1G 0AE
Further details can be found on the Royal Society of Medicine's website.
Nightlife & Crime
Phil Hadfield, Senior Research Fellow, Centre for Criminal Justice Studies was funded by the AERC to investigate alcohol policy. His new book Nightlife and Crime: Social Order and Governance in International Perspective is a collection of scholarly reports on crime and disorder in the Night Time Economies of 17 countries.
AERC Funded Publication
The effect of alcohol advertising, marketing and portrayal on drinking behaviour in young people: systematic review of prospective cohort studies.
Conference Report: Addiction and the family
Two hundred people attended a conference on Addiction & the Family in Bristol on November 21st, 2008. This meeting was one of series that Moira Plant and Martin Plant and their colleagues have arranged over the past 30 years. This event, like many of the previous meetings, was supported by the Alcohol Education & Research Council (AERC).
PhD at the University of Sheffield
A PhD studentship will be based within the School of Health and Related Research (ScHARR). Applicants may propose work on any topic relevant to health inequalities; however, applications investigating one of the following will be particularly welcome:
- The Role of Alcohol in Creating and Maintaining Health Inequalities or
- Health Inequalities in Access to Alcohol Interventions
Consultation on Children, Young People and Alcohol
This consultation, initiated by the Department for Children, Schools & Families, is based upon two documents that are aimed at reaching all parents, children and young people under 18 as well as health, education and children’s services professionals.
- The Chief Medical Officer’s Guidance on the consumption of alcohol by children and young people; and
- Initial ideas for the supporting Advice and Information for parents and young people.
May 7th 2008 National Harm Reduction Campaign
August 2005 Working with the children and families of problem alcohol users: a Toolkit
This Toolkit has been prepared by Lorna Templeton, Sarah Zohhadi and Professor Richard Velleman, who work for the Alcohol, Drugs and the Family Research Programme at the Bath Mental Health Research and Development Unit, a joint unit between the University of Bath and the Avon & Wiltshire Mental Health Partnership NHS Trust; and Dr Jane Powell from the University of the West of England in Bristol. It has been designed to provide guidance on developing and delivering services to children and families who are affected by substance misuse.
Visit the Final Reports section to see the toolkit
Since this toolkit was produced with the aim that it will be used as a resource, we are keen to find out what people think of it, and in what ways it has been used (particularly if it has been used to change practice in any way). When you have examined and used the Toolkit we would be grateful if you could complete a brief Questionnaire - click here for Toolkit Questionnaire. (Microsoft Word Document)
August 2004 The AERCs Response to the Government's Alcohol Harm Reduction Strategy
Document detailing the Council's full response to the Government's Alcohol Harm Reduction Strategy.