M-PACT Programme - ADEPIS Seminar

Editor's Notes

• #3: So who are we. Action on Addiction – merged charity. Sites in Liverpool, London, Bournemouth and Wiltshire. These comprise of structured day programmes, secondary stage women only treatment, residential treatment, professional training and family support. Families Plus – established in 1998, was set up to respond directly to the needs of those affected by someone else’s substance misuse. Our services are not dependant on where the substance misuser is in their own journey, and we work with people all across the UK.
• #7: One of our practitioners is part funded by Children in Need and we were winner of the 2012 local Health improvement awards. M-PACT was also runner up in two categories of the Children Young People Now Awards 2012 and runner up in the London Safeguarding Children Awards
• #8: . To support children and young people whose parent(s) misuse (or have misused) drugs and/or alcohol To raise parents’ awareness about the impact that their misuse has on the whole family To offer the opportunity for change that is unlikely without external help To reduce the negative impact of substance misuse on children and young people and the family as a whole To interrupt repeating patterns of harmful behaviour and reduce risks To increase the range of coping strategies and to raise self-esteem To improve communication within the family To strengthen protective and resilience factors To provide education around substance misuse To explore values and beliefs that families carry both as individuals and as a family unit To identify additional needs of both parents, children and young people and guide them towards further help
• #9: I’ll now take some time to talk in a bit more detail about key aspects of the programme that were not covered in the Video and I am hpapy to take questions throughout. Age of children – ‘we’ have worked with younger children and are keen to develop M-PACT to work with younger children across the UK, as young as 5, but further pilot work needs to be undertaken by our team before we market the prog as suitable for that age group. The adults – anyone who has parental responsibility or who plays a significant part in that childs life at the time of attendance. Grandparents, aunts/uncles. In one programme that has just started the parent and grandparents have attended as the children really wanted the grandparents there with them. We try to be inclusive as possible and ultimately work with who we can. Whole family approach –Chaotic. Children attending separately either from the start/during. Still gain from the experience, meeting other children/young people, adults Groups tend to max at about25 individuals, but this will very much depend on the families, but could be if 2:2 32 individuals.
• #10: Every family is assessed as a family unit, the opportunity for them to find out about the programme and if not known to you, then you to find out about them and whether M-PACT is suitable and what the family need in terms of support. It mirrors that of the programme, two facilitators, time spent as a whole family and then children/adults split up so that both can discuss any areas in more detail. Sessions are structured< but flexible to respond to the needs of those in attendancesessions look at communication, families, making sense of addiction, keeping safe. During the sessions practitioners: - warm, non judgemental attitude to help build the necessary trust and working alliance toengage families. The acceptance of families/individuals at whatever ‘stage of readiness’ is vital. At the same time, practitionersshould aim to stimulate/provoke thought and to challenge unhelpful beliefs behaviours/myths around the self and addiction. Practitionersshould also model good boundaries and provide a robust containing environment where difficult emotions can be talked about and madesense of. At times their role can also be described as that of a coach: they assist families to set achievable goals, provide new information/learning, increase motivation and the confidence necessary to meet goals. Individuals should not be viewed in isolation and without reference to their family context.A systemic perspective offers a broader picture of how individuals interact within the family and how certain roles are created andmaintained. The group as agent for change.Families affected by addiction experience social isolation due to a sense of shame and stigma. The programme may be the first opportunity where they share openly with other families who are experiencing similar situations. They are united by common experiences; this brings a huge sense of relief and reduces their isolation. Often hearing from another child how it impacts on their life, it hits home to the parent. Instillation of hope and building an attitude of ‘can do’: families are the experts and have the solutions.Practitioners hold the belief that, given the right environment,timely interventions, relevant information and opportunities for mutual support,every individual/group has the capacity to grow and change. Practitioners trust the clients’ ability/capacity to find their own creativesolutions to problems. The programme provides a safe stage for families to develop more confidence in their resilience and a widerrepertoire of roles to play. A “client centred” attitude, collaborative approach and respectfor the family members at all times.Although the programme is structured and covers certain themes, it is essential to respond to the emerging needs of the clients from session to session and to adapt to these accordinglyIntegration of ‘thinking, feelings and behaviour’Children and adults who live with substance misuse can learn to cope with ongoing distressing situations by ‘switching off’. Often their abilityto think becomes totally absorbed by addiction, resulting in confusion, self blame and low self esteem. Thinking, feelings and behaviourcan become compartmentalized, adding to the sense of the family’s disintegration and isolation. The programme aims to promote the integration of thoughts, beliefs, feelings and an exploration of resulting behaviour. Or summary – Be flexible and responsive to identified needs (initially at assessment and throughout the sessions) Provide a safe, structured experience and good boundaries by modelling a containing environment. (Children and young peopleliving with addiction often grow up in an unsafe environment which lacks boundaries and containment) Understand the families and individuals within them, in terms of“attachment”, emotional development and how addiction has impacted and continues to impact on this process Provide a different view of the situation and promote positive change Create a safe, secure base from which children, young people and parents can begin to explore their experiences and grow as a familyAftercare – further additional support, not going to solve all in 8 weeks non- addiction services i.e. Swimming