TACKLING SUBSTANCE ABUSE IN FAMILIES

Debate regarding the most appropriate ways to help people to get off
drugs has resulted in what often seem to be polarised positions in
favour of either methadone prescribing or abstinence-based interventions.

In Scotland, there are between 40,000 and 60,000 children affected by
parental drug use. For them, the debate tends to centre around when,
or indeed whether, to remove them from their parents.

This is a complex area. Clearly, the scale of the problem in Scotland
means that, even if we decided to place every child whose parents use
drugs with a foster family or accommodate them in residential care,
the resources are not there.

In addition, the outcome for many children would by no means be
better than if they had remained with their parents.

Children should remain with their parents unless there are compelling
reasons why they should not. What kind of reasons? Rigorous risk
assessments would highlight issues such as parents not acknowledging
the impact of their drug use on their children; parents consistently
not engaging with treatment services; an ongoing unsafe home
environment; and evidence that children are exposed to harm or actual abuse.

The Scottish Government's new strategy on tackling drug problems The
Road to Recovery - A New Approach to Tackling Scotland's Drug Problem
emphasises "recovery", defined as moving on to a drug-free life.

The strategy focuses on children living in families where there is
parental substance use. It recognises that these families often
experience significant levels of deprivation and need.

It talks of supporting families to build parenting capacity and
family relationships to ensure the safety of children affected and
promote their welfare. It also mentions a commitment to paying
allowances to approved kinship carers.

The voluntary sector in Scotland has an established record of
providing innovative, specialist services which are flexible in
responding to the needs of people affected by drug and alcohol problems.

Aberlour has worked in Scotland with children and families affected
by parental substance use for 20 years. We have Outreach services in
Glasgow, Edinburgh and Dundee, working with families in their own
homes to reduce risks for children and build their resilience, as
well as working with parents on parenting skills, addiction issues as
well as employability and life skills.

We also have short-term residential provision for 12 families in
Glasgow which can accommodate mothers and children together to work
on their programme. This service has been highlighted by policy
makers as a model which should be considered for replication elsewhere .

We are setting up a new service, Aberlour Bridges, in North Glasgow
which will help children from substance-using families make effective
transitions from nursery to primary, and primary to secondary
education and we also have a new befriending service in South East
Glasgow which will support 5-13 year olds by providing positive role
models and involving them in recreational and social activities in
their communities.

Over ?94m is being made available over the next three years to
support the new Scottish Drugs Strategy. But there is little
recognition with its pages of the role of the voluntary sector. The
vast majority of the money will go to health boards for drug
treatment and rehabilitation services.

The recent concordat between the Scottish Government and local
authorities is intended to provide the latter with more freedom, with
the removal of ring-fencing, to spend their share of funding
according to local needs.

However, this will present considerable challenges in the present
tight financial climate as to where limited resources will be allocated.

There are good things in the strategy: the rejection of redundant
dogma relating to drugs, the development of services based on
outcomes, the need to build cross-party support and the ambition to
deliver early intervention for children affected by parental substance use.

But we all need to mobilise and co-ordinate substantial resources in
Scotland to make a significant impact on the many families in
Scotland affected by drug use.

Bruce Thomson is Assistant Regional Director Glasgow Dependency
Services, at Aberlour Child Care Trust.