Adfam Families, drugs and alcohol
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Transcript of Adfam Families, drugs and alcohol
•Nearly 1.5 million adults will be significantly affected by a relative’s drug use•The cost of harms they experience as a result amounts to about 1.8 billion per year•The support they provide would cost the NHS and local authorities about 750 million to provide if it were not available
The numbers 61,000 children in care in UKUp to 350,000 children affected by parental drug useUp to 1.3 million affected by parental alcohol useIn 2007, local authorities spent £117 million dealing
with families where substance misuse is a problemSubstance misuse linked to DV, mental health,
poverty ......
THE POLICY DRIVERS Families affected by addiction problems are
important for four significant and related reasons:
Involvement of family members in the treatment of their relatives with addiction problems can enhance positive outcomes
Family members in these circumstances show symptoms of stress that merit help in their own right
Effective treatment of the parent can have positive benefits for the child
Better outcomes for children are achieved if they remain with their families
Why support families?They provide practical, emotional and financial support to the
substance user, improving the likelihood of recoveryHealth and welfare of family members is improved if they are given
support Engaging families in a prison setting can reduce drug
supply and re-offending Isolation and stigma increases stress and its related
problems, placing added strain on statutory servicesEconomic advantages Why not?????
Rebuilding family relationships is a key constituent of recovery
Families provide vital recovery capitalFamilies are well placed to help map individualised
routes away from drug dependencyFamilies need to recover too
Why families?
Case studies The family has been torn apart in many ways, and my
grandchild has faced stigma at schoolWe’ve had to deal with drug dealers demanding money and
had to pay back thousands of pounds in drug debts for our son…
My daughters were scared of their drug using brother….the emotional stress meant they missed school…
We didn’t have any routines .. Everything revolved around the drugs. There wasn’t much food about…. Bread and not much else
What does family support mean? Policies and guidance :
Drugs Families Children
Systems:Strategic and operational partnerships Interventions and services
Culture and language
Six key messages of the original Hidden Harm inquiry Estimated 250,000/350,000 children of problem drug
users in the UKParental drug use causes serious harm to children at every
age from conception to adulthoodReducing the harm to children should become a main
objective of policy and practiceEffective treatment of the parent can have major benefits
for the childBy working together, services can take practical steps to
protect and improve the health and well-being of affected children
The number of affected children is only likely to decrease when the number of problem drug users decreases
Key challenges/opportunities How to deliver at a time of austerity Outcomes LocalismPublic HealthWorkforce Recovery Troubled families .