Vivienne Evans

September 2013

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•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

ImpactSocial FinancialPhysicalPsychologicalCriminalityStigmaPersonal and societal

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 .

www.adfam.org.uk