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Working with young people: A profile of projects funded by the Partnership Drugs Initiative
Edinburgh: Aberlour Outreach
Provides support and therapeutic services for families with drug misuse related problems caring for children under the age of 12. The project works with families with children facing complex problems, encompassing possible drug use, child care problems, problems with housing etc. It also works with pregnant drug users and older drug users (30+) who recognise that their drug use may be affecting their ability to parent. Children's rights and interests are paramount and the key focus is on lessening the impact of parental drug use on children and helping children to build resilience.
November 2001
The project team is made up of 1 Co-ordinator (full time), 2 Project Workers (full time), 1 Project Worker (30 hrs), 1 Children's Worker (full time) and 1 Administrative Worker (full time). The replacement of one of the original Project Workers with a dedicated Children's Worker means that a separate service can be offered for the children or it can be integrated into parental support services. The project team has experience in a range of settings including social work, residential child care and from working within Aberlour's Brenda House service.
It is an Edinburgh-wide service although SIP funding (South Edinburgh and Craigmillar) requires the project to prioritise certain areas.
The project is based in a section of Brenda House, Aberlour's residential rehabilitation unit for women drug users. Project workers also visit clients in their own homes.
Children of substance misusing parents
As of September 2003 there had been 139 referrals to the project since its inception in November 2001.
The gender profile of the clients is as follows:-
In order to cut down on the number of missed appointments, the referrer is invited to attend the initial visit. Following a 4-6 week assessment process, a care plan is devised for each family based on what the parents themselves identify as issues they wish to address. A range of assessment tools, including the SCODA scale and the Parenting Hassles scale are used, and progress is regularly reviewed at six-week intervals.
Support is offered on an open-ended basis depending on the needs and motivations of the clients; initial estimates of a six month contract with clients is now seen as unrealistic. Regular case reviews are held at six-week intervals. The project team attempt to stabilise parental drug use through substitute prescribing or detox in the community. Support on parenting and family issues is also offered, for example helping parents to set bedtime routines or deal with behavioural issues. The Children's Worker offers individual support for the children involved, helping them to understand their family's circumstances or, on a more practical level, making sure they attend school regularly. Occasionally clients are referred on to a Brenda House service that offers support to drug users who have progressed to the stage where they are considering work or education.
Referral to the project comes via a number of possible routes, the most frequent being social work, health visitor and self-referral. The pattern of referrals is illustrated in Figure 4.
Figure 4
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