Working with Families where there is Parental Substance Misuse - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Working with Families where there is Parental Substance Misuse

Families First  Is a multi agency team, set up in 1999 to work with the children of families who are negatively affected by their parents / carers substance misuse  Is a partnership between RCT Children’s Services, Treatment Education and Drugs Services (TEDS) and Cwm Taff NHS Trust

What do Families First Do? Assess the impact of Parental drug and alcohol use on children and the unborn How do we do this? By exploring and evaluating drug and alcohol misuse to gain an understanding of its effects on family life. By Considering the effects substances can have on a persons parenting capacity.

Structures and functions within the family often disrupted by alcohol or drug misuse  Rituals  Roles  Routines  Com m unication  Social Life  Finances  Relationships and I nteractions

What Can Families First Offer Parents? We can offer support and guidance to prevent / o avoid family breakdown and build positive relationships to improve attachment between the parent/ carer and the child Build upon and develop existing parenting skills o Help families talk about worries and concerns o Provide support to families to sustain positive o change Signpost the family to other organisations that o may be able to help them further Offer time out activities for families o

Direct Work with Parents  Cycle of Change  Parenting experiences  Resilience and vulnerability matrix  Family focused intervention  Relapse prevention  Impact of substance misuse on parenting  Build on positive families experiences

What can Families First Offer? Pregnancy  Education on the effects of substance misuse on the pregnancy and their unborn baby  Prepare women for the birth in relation to Neonatal Abstinence Spectrum Disorder including treatment in hospital and care of their baby at home  Support in the home following the birth of the baby  Support families to sustain positive change

 Referrals accepted as soon as pregnancy disclosed  Assessment/ pattern of use  Affects of drugs on the unborn/ pregnancy  Neonatal Abstinence Scoring  Patterns of neonatal withdrawal  Admission to SCBU and treatment  Care of baby with withdrawal

Post Natal Support  Support and advice in caring for baby  Relapse prevention  Practical help/ assist with hospital appointments etc.  Support for parent/ experiences from childhood  Impact of substance misuse on parenting  Vulnerability/ resilience matrix  Evaluation/ discharge

Negative effects on the child who lives with parental substance misuse Behavioural disturbance, antisocial behaviour (conduct  disorders) Emotional difficulties  Behavioural problems and achievement at school  Social isolation, because they feel that it is too problematic or  shameful to bring friends home, or because they are not able to go out with friends as they have responsibilities of caring for other family members (e.g. siblings or the misusing parents) ‘precocious maturity’  They also tend to have a more difficult transition from childhood to adolescence and increased likelihood of being referred to social services because of child protection concerns Velleman & Templeton (2007)

What Can Families First offer Children?  Support them to understand their feelings and to feel better about themselves  Assist children and Young People to deal with the effects of having a parent or carer who misuses substances  Help children talk about worries and concerns  Offer time out activities  Signpost the child or young person to other organisations that may be able to help them further

Child’s Assessment  The child’s relationship with their parents and extended family  The child’s feeling about events in their life  Important people in the child’s life  Protective environment  Hobbies and interests

Referral Criteria  Children and Young People aged 0-17 years, of parents and or carers who misuse drugs or alcohol and who live in RCT  Parents and or carers who misuse drugs or alcohol  Pregnant women and their partner who misuse drugs or alcohol  Families First will accept referrals from any service within RCT as well as self referrals

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Strengthening Fam ilies Program m e ( 1 0 -1 4 )

Aims of the Strengthening Families Programme(10-14) ‘Enhance protective factors and reduce risk factors’.

How We Deliver SFP 10 -14 (UK)  7 week programme consisting of 3 separate sessions per week  Delivered via multi agency approach  Various methods of delivery used in each session including DVD’s, discussions, role play, games and activities

What The Families Say? Do the Try to get Get Up Early family On School on better meetings Days. and follow the rules. Keep Doing The At Home Programme To What I Learn Has Helped Communicate Here. Without Us To Shouting Try to The programme has Have stay helped us to think Fun about doing more calm. things together.’

For More information Please Contact: Nadia Rees Strengthening Fam ilies Coordinator 0 1 4 4 3 8 2 3 9 5 0

Any Questions? Fam ilies First Unit 2 Fairw ay Court Treforest I ndustrial Estate Tonteg Road Treforest Rhondda Cynon Taff CF3 7 5 UA Tel : 0 1 4 4 3 8 2 3 9 5 0