‘ Focusing on Families – Improving Responses and Support ’ Development Opportunities in Aberdeen Tanja Mehrer Grampian Family Support Development Officer

To develop, maintain and deliver a range of family support services in Grampian for people affected by someone else’s alcohol or drug misuse, and to ensure that they address the specific needs of individual family members and of family support groups. To offer advice and guidance to services and commissioning bodies such as ADPs to improve local support for families affected by alcohol and drugs. Grampian Family Support Development Officer

To offer information, support and assistance to existing family support groups in the region and to those who want to start a new support group in their area To provide information and signposting to individual family members To help family members to access existing support in the area. To assist the Grampian Family Support Forum To advocate on behalf of families Grampian Family Support Development Officer

Consultation with family members and support groups, specialist substance misuse services, ADP team, Aberdeenshire Drug, Alcohol & BBV Fora, community groups, generic health and social care services…… Service mapping Grampian Family Support Survey Banff and Buchan Big Blether Raising Overdose and Naloxone awareness Family inclusive practice at Grampian SMS conference Capacity building support peer support groups and GFSF Provision of information and signposting individuals to services Workforce training on “Understanding and Supporting Families in Recovery” Activity Focus Aberdeenshire

interventions that work with family members to promote the entry and engagement of drug and/or alcohol users into treatment the joint involvement of family members and the relatives using drugs and/or alcohol in the treatment of the user interventions aimed to respond to the needs of family members affected by drug and alcohol problems in their own right [Copello, Velleman and Templeton, 2005] Family Interventions: Three Broad Categories

Service mapping

 Are you affected by drug or alcohol use or both  What is your relationship to the person misusing  Have they ever accessed help  Have you ever accessed help for yourself  If no, define reason  Have you been given information by your GP or any health or social care professional  What type of support have you accessed  How did you find out about it  Who provided that support  How helpful was it  Identify 4 local gaps  Are families included in the assessment and treatment of their loved one and actively supported as a family member throughout the recovery process  How helpful were professionals’ attitudes towards family member’s needs Grampian Family Support Survey - content

Joint, coordinated and planned approach to family support provision with evidence based interventions Monitoring and evaluation framework for family support Proactive identification of family members during assessment process Development of clear support pathways and linkages Assertive family support promotion to address barriers posed by stigma and shame experienced by families – focussing on Central and South Shire areas Increasing the network of family support groups, specifically in Central and South and develop other forms of peer support suitable for wide rural areas Provision of family training and therapeutic interventions to promote access to treatment Workforce development to support and include family members in treatment and recovery Development opportunities

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