Ten and eleven-year olds in Herefordshire will soon have the opportunity of finding out how to keep themselves "socially safe" in the second phase of this academic year's Crucial Crew project.

Around 1,600 schoolchildren from Year 6 of schools across the county will be coming to a number of venues during January and February to learn more about how to deal with issues such as cyber-bullying, anti-social behaviour and graffiti as well as the perils of drug and alcohol abuse.

The scheme is organised by locally-based charity 2XL Youth Projects and funded by Herefordshire Primary Care Trust, Herefordshire Community Safety & Drugs Partnership, West Mercia Constabulary and Herefordshire Healthy Schools.

The event will present three sessions to the youngsters - Bullying, Street Sense and Drugs & Alcohol Awareness - and involves organisations including the police, Herefordshire Healthy Schools and Herefordshire Housing.

Pupils will have already completed the first phase of Crucial Crew during the 2008 winter term. This looked at making the children more physically safe and covered fire and road safety as well as basic first aid.

The Crucial Crew scheme was first staged in Herefordshire in 1994 and since then has seen tens of thousands of county children educated in personal safety.

Dave Thomas, one of the 2XL organisers, said, "Crucial Crew has recently undergone something of a makeover so that key messages can be kept fresh and relevant. The kids really do get a lot out of the project and enjoy every minute of it.

"We work closely with local schools to get feedback and ideas to enable us to improve and update our inputs."

Chief Inspector Bob Barnett from Hereford Police, who oversees the police input to the scheme, commented, "We believe that the lessons that Crucial Crew delivers are vital in helping a young person develop into a good citizen and at the same time showing them how to keep themselves and others safe."