Discussion Space 7E: Ethics, harm reduction, and children under 12: rethinking models of care for early substance use
Tracks
Track 5
| Friday, October 9, 2026 |
| 2:00 PM - 3:30 PM |
| Discussion Space/Exhibition Room (Meridian) |
Details
Children under the age of 16 who use substances remain largely absent from substance use research, policy discussions, and service responses. Most existing models of care are designed for adolescents and adults, leaving practitioners with limited guidance when early substance use occurs among younger children. Responses are often shaped by competing imperatives of child protection, risk management, punishment, prevention, and care, particularly in low- and middle-income country contexts where systems are fragmented.
This discussion space will explore how harm reduction principles might be ethically interpreted when substance use occurs among children under 12. Participants will reflect on ethical dilemmas encountered in practice and consider how relational, child-centred approaches could inform more responsive models of care.
Speaker
Ms Rebecca Coetzee
Lecturer
University Of Witwatersrand
Ethics, harm reduction, and children under 16: rethinking models of care for early substance use
Biography
Rebecca Coetzee is a nurse educator and PhD candidate at the University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa. Her doctoral research explores ethical and harm-reduction-informed responses to early substance use among children under 12 in low- and middle-income contexts, contributing to relational and child-centred models of care.
Ms Rebecca Coetzee
Lecturer
University Of Witwatersrand
Welcome and framing of the session
2:00 PM - 2:05 PMBiography
Ms Rebecca Coetzee
Lecturer
University Of Witwatersrand
Facilitated introduction to ethical tensions in early substance use responses
2:05 PM - 2:20 PMBiography
Miss Daniela Goeieman
Researcher
PSI
Facilitated introduction to ethical tensions in early substance use responses
2:05 PM - 2:20 PMBiography
Ms Rebecca Coetzee
Lecturer
University Of Witwatersrand
Interactive participant discussion in small and whole-group dialogue
2:20 PM - 2:50 PMBiography
Miss Daniela Goeieman
Researcher
PSI
Interactive participant discussion in small and whole-group dialogue
2:20 PM - 2:50 PMBiography
INHSU 2026
Synthesis of key insights and closing reflections
2:50 PM - 3:00 PMBiography
