Young Parents Helped To 'Know More' About Drugs And Alcohol

Main Category: Alcohol / Addiction / Illegal Drugs
Article Date: 03 Jun 2009 - 2:00 PDT

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In the run up to National Tackling Drugs Week (8th-12th June), drug and alcohol services in Liverpool have gathered together to host 'Know more' an event which will showcase a range of services that offer advice and support to young people and their families.

The event is a result of pioneering partnerships between Young Addaction Liverpool and other support organisations who are sharing resources and linking together to provide a more joined-up approach to young people in challenging situations.

Local street dancers, artists, and community drama groups will take to an outdoor stage in Liverpool's busy city centre, alongside Mersey-famous Everton Tigers who will be performing basketball tricks to help promote the campaign's messages. There will also be a range of market stall-style stands where services will be offering free and confidential help and advice throughout the day.

Nick Evans, Young Addaction Liverpool's Project Manager explains, "Young people don't see problems in their lives as isolated issues - if they are struggling with drugs or alcohol, we find they may also be facing challenges in their education or employment, family relationships or housing situations.

"That's why we work with other services to provide linked-up support across these issues, so that young people have the skills and resources that they need to live confidently and overcome the situations they experience. We're developing more integrated, creative ways of working to ensure that less young people fall through the gaps and serve to better connect young people."

Young Addaction workers already partner closely with a range of services such as Healthy Schools, housing services, and the Youth Offending Team, but understanding that young people live within wider relationships, Young Addaction Liverpool have extended their support to families and carers of service users.

A unique new partnership approach with Liverpool Sure Start Children's Centres is one such example. As Nick Evans explains, "We often see a pattern of drug and alcohol misuse passed on through generations, from grandparents, to parents and to children, so we began looking for ways of supporting parents to break free of their drug or alcohol use, and help prevent their children getting caught in the same struggle."

"Support services are often reluctant to ask drug users the question, 'Do you have children?' for fear of being responsible for moving children into care, but we're now starting to break the generational behavioural patterns of drug misuse and raise aspirations across whole families, by working with young parents.

Introducing Young Addaction Liverpool's support workers within an environment that parents are already familiar with and feel safe in has been a key part of the success, according to Ruth Haig Ferguson, Liverpool Children's Centre Co-ordinator:

"Our Children's Centres are familiar community spaces, where many people already feel relaxed and welcome. Parents might come to use the toddler sessions for example, but might also be able to ask for help with issues like healthy eating, finances, self-esteem, or domestic violence. So for us, offering drugs and alcohol advice and support with Young Addaction seemed a natural extension of the service we are already providing for our communities."

"Experience shows that drug use is a common cycle which traps people in poverty and low aspirations. At our centre, young parents feel accepted and that really helps to take away the stigma of being drug users, and the anxiety about whether they'll lose their children into care. They know that they can come to us to ask for help to sort out their own lives, whilst at the same time helping their children to grow up into a future free from drug or alcohol abuse and their often devastating effects."

Nick Evans continues, "Partnerships such as this one mean that we are seeing real changes in people's lives, where they can find non-judgemental support and are given the confidence and skills to deal with their personal struggles, and can in turn, pass that confidence on to their children. In the longer term, this kind of working should also help to really reduce the numbers of young people needing to access our services."

He adds, "I think that at Young Addaction Liverpool our partnerships are quite unique in terms of the diversity of support that they enable us to offer - whether that's links into sexual health education, bereavement counselling, housing or help with education and training opportunities. We hope that this event will go a long way in showing people how we are working together and providing quality support across a full range of issues to bring positive change in their lives."

Notes

- Addaction is the UK's largest drug and alcohol support service helping adults and families manage their alcohol and drug misuse. Addaction has tripled in size since it was set up in 1967.

- Young Addaction Liverpool is the north-west's leading drug and alcohol support service for young people and has recently launched a transition into adult services for 18-25 year olds. Young people can access support from Young Addaction Liverpool through referrals from schools, youth services, housing services and colleges or self refer.

'Know more' is a completely free event put on to show young people and parents/carers the support that is available from organisations across the city and is funded by Citysafe, Liverpool Primary Care Trust and Young Addaction Liverpool.

Source
Young Addaction Liverpool