Supporting staff
Schools, kura kaupapa, kōhanga reo and early childhood education and care centres can comply with vaping laws and still support staff who are vaping to quit smoking.
SUPPORT STAFF WHO ARE QUITTING SMOKING
Schools can help staff who are vaping to quit smoking to comply with the law and remain a positive role model at school.
Consider flexible options to allow staff to attend stop-smoking sessions with their quit coach.
Offer staff the flexibility to go off-site to vape.
Ask what would help them to avoid triggers. For example, they may have a need to change their routine
Arm staff with the facts
Ensure your staff are aware of the key messages:
- The best thing you can do for your health is be smokefree and vapefree.
- Vaping is not for children or young people.
- Vaping can help some people quit smoking.
- Vaping is not harmless but it is much less harmful than smoking.
- Vaping is not for people who don't smoke.
Have staff complete the Vaping Facts quiz. Copy the questions as a handout so staff can record their answers without explanations to check their baseline knowledge.
Show this four minute video. It talks about vaping facts in a light and natural way, whilst addressing some of the myths.
Ask staff to look through the website. Doing it in a staff information session means they can learn it there and then, rather than in their own time which many do not have. This page explains the key differences between vaping vs smoking.
Have staff go through the quiz again using the online version, so the answers and explanation come up. Hopefully following their learning and discussion session, all their answers are correct.
Watch Professor Hayden McRobbie’s video on Making sense of the evidence and practice tips. It provides clear explanations on facts that teachers may need to know before talking to students about vaping.