Safety intervention reports for children have slightly decreased, although some as young as 10 were “vaping”, the House of Assembly heard yesterday.

Tinée Furbert, the youth minister, said that her Counselling Life Skills unit received 110 referrals last year — 46 of which were for substance use.

However, Ms Furbert noted that “a continuing trend of adolescents using vapes” had been seen in 2024.

She added: “There was a shift in 2024 compared to 2023, whereas the numbers of females reported using was higher than that of male counterparts.

“The average age for 2024 based on the data was 13 years old.

“However, it should be noted that there were children as young as 10 who were referred in 2024 for either experimenting or having a vape pen in their possession.”

Ms Furbert was speaking during a breakdown of her ministry’s budget.

She explained that the Counselling Life Skills unit, which received $1.18 million for the 2025-26 fiscal year, monitored the wellbeing of children and their families.

Ms Furbert said that, of last year’s referrals, 106 were approved for services, while the remainder were denied because they were already receiving help.

She said that of those 46 substance-related referrals, 43 received services.

Eighteen of those serviced cases were males and the remaining 25 were females.

Ms Furbert said the other 63 CLS cases were related to trauma, domestic violence, behaviour, grief, mental health or parent/child relationships.

She added: “It is not uncommon for clients in CLS to be receiving therapy for multiple issues that could be affecting their wellbeing.”

The 110 referrals were made up of 67 females and 43 males.

The majority of the serviced cases — 94 — were served in 2024, while the rest were expected to be served this year.

In females, there was one case of a child aged 4 or under; eight cases in children aged between 5 and 9 years; 27 cases in children between the ages of 10 and 14; 14 cases in children aged between 15 and 18; and three cases in women aged 18 and older, which were still in the system.

In males, there were three cases in children aged 4 years or below; eight cases in children aged between 5 and 9; 23 cases in children aged between 10; and 14 and seven in children aged between 15 and 18.

There were no cases listed in men aged 18 and older still in the system.

Ms Furbert said that substance use in girls aged between 15 and 18 years was slightly higher last year in girls than in boys of the same age group.

She said that usage between the two was often matched.

Ms Furbert added that the ages between 10 and 18 years were a common range to see substance use in children grow, and that it spiked in middle school years.

Ms Furbert told the House that a memorandum of understanding between the Ministry of Education and the Department of Child and Family Services, which housed the CLS, dictated that any concerning incidents in schools were relayed to the DCFS.

She said that 90 per cent of referrals last year came from schools, while the rest were sent in by the police or King Edward VII Memorial Hospital.

Ms Furbert said that, alongside vaping, cases of cannabis and alcohol use were still prevalent among adolescents.

She added: “Data from 2024 indicates that young people still appear to believe that substances are a healthy way to cope with life’s stressors, depression, anxiety, trauma and grief.”

She explained that problems caused by divorce or children dealing with behavioural problems and “complex neurodiversity” such as ADHD might lead to substance use.

Ms Furbert added that the legalisation of cannabis products in some jurisdictions and a lack of understanding of the dangers of vaping, may have contributed to substance use trends.

She recommended there be services to help parents by offering courses on parenting skills, as well as coping strategies for adults dealing with stress or trauma.

Ms Furbert added that lessons on the stages of childhood development and what was appropriate at each stage would help further.