Making a Difference

       

Research  shows  parents  have  the  most  influence  on  young  children’s  attitudes  and  behaviour  towards  alcohol.  Glasgow  city  has  an  estimated  6,000  plus  children  affected  by  parental  alcohol  or  drug  misuse.    The  immediate  effects  of  this  include  children  being  at  risk  of  neglect,  emotional  and  physical  abuse.    Long  term  risks  include  poor  physical  and  mental  health  as  well  as  exacerbating  health  inequalities.    In  some  cases  there  is  the  potential  for  serious  failure  of  care  and  danger  to  

children,  (ADP  strategy  2014/17)  

 

 

 

 

 

We  believe  that  preventing  alcohol  and  drug  misuse  is  more  effective  than  treating  established  problems.  This  means  preventing  people  from  drinking  too  much  or  

experimenting  with  drugs,  preventing  experimenters  becoming  regular  users  and  preventing  regular  users  becoming  problem  users.  

   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

‘The group thought about how their own drinking affected how they looked after their child the next day’

GROUP:  Making  A  Difference  -­‐  13  parents      

LOCATION:  North  East  Glasgow    

PROGRAMME:  PARENTS      

DURATION:    5  weeks                                      

PROGRAMME:  RESILIENCE  PILOT  

DURATION:  6  WEEKS    

BACKGROUND  In  2013  we  developed  and  facilitated  a  programme  in  partnership  with  the  Rosemount  ‘Making  a  Difference’  group.    ‘Making  a  Difference’  is  a  personal,  social  development  course  for  young  parents  between  the  ages  of  16-­‐25.  The  Rosemount  Learning  Community  who  ran  the  course  approached  the  Prevention  and  Education  Team  after  having  concerns  of  the  level  of  which  the  young  mums  in  the  group  were  using  alcohol  and  other  drugs.    A  five  week  programme  was  agreed  looking  at  the  effects  and  risks  associated  with  alcohol  and  drugs,  and  risk  taking  behaviour.    We  created  a  non-­‐  judgemental  safe  space  to  enable  participants  to  feel  able  to  discuss  issues  that  affect  them  and  lots  of  discussion  was  encouraged.  

OVERALL AIM • To  use  alcohol  and  drug  Prevention  and  Education  interventions  as  a  vehicle  to  demonstrate  

the  impact  of  resilience  on  children  and  families.  OBJECTIVES

• To  raise  awareness  of  the  concept  of  resilience.    • To  increase  understanding  of  protective  and  risk  factors  and  how  these  can  influence  positive  

and  negative  attitudes  and  behaviours  • Increase  in  knowledge  around  alcohol  and  drugs  to  pass  this  knowledge  onto  the  children  in  

their  care.    • Exploration  of  the  challenges  and  demands  of  being  a  Parent    

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

METHODS

Alcohol,  drugs,  parenting  and  resilience  are  potentially  complex  and  sensitive  issues  and  therefore  the  need  to  ensure  the  wellbeing  of  participants  remained  a  priority  at  all  times.  The  programme  required  some  thought  in  terms  of  what  can  be  realistically  achieved  within  the  sessions  while  allowing  for  fun  activities  and  ice  breakers  each  week,  to  help  ensure  the  group  feel  comfortable  with  each  other  and  with  the  facilitator,  before  discussions  took  place.  

For  the  programme  used  our  toolkit  of  interventions  and  tools  with  the  group.  This  included  some  of  our  activities  that  have  been  facilitated  and  evaluated  and  we  know  work  well,  alongside  some  new  activities  to  explore  our  aims  and  objectives  with  a  protective  and  resilience  art  activity  at  the  end.    

PROGRAMME

Week  1:  Alcohol  baseline  knowledge    • Icebreaker  activities  • Hopes,  fears  and  expectation  of  the  programme    • Pour  a  unit    • Calculate  your  carry  out  

Week  2:  Alcohol,  Drugs  and  Attitudes      

• Check-­‐in  (How  I’m  feeling)    •  Attitudes  to  alcohol  and  drugs  discussion  (including  discussion  around    how  

their  own  drinking  affected  how  they  looked  after  their  child  the  next  day)  • Cannabis  wheel  

Week  3:  Drugs  baseline  knowledge  • Check-­‐in  (How  I’m  feeling)  • Drugs  effects,  categories,  the  law.  • New  Psychoactive  substances  

Week  4:  Drug  and  Alcohol  consolidation  of  knowledge          • Check  in  • Drugs  Box  • Beer  Goggle  obstacle  course  

Week  5:  Protective  and  Resilience  Factors  • Check  in  • Message  in  a  bottle  (to  their  children)  

EVALUATION

 

 

EVALUATION  

Due  to  the  nature  of  the  intervention  it  was  essential  to  be  flexible  in  approach  to  evaluation.    We  used  a  range  of  evaluation  techniques  and  tools  which  are  tailored  to  the  nature  of  the  group.  We  evaluated  through  activities  such  as  challenges  of  Kinship  Care  and  the  photobook  and  also  completed  the  core  evaluation  questions  we  used  for  2012-­‐13  interventions.  

 Message  in  a  bottle  

INNOVATIVE WAY OF EXPLORING PROTECTIVE & RESILIENCE FACTORS WITH PARENTS In  the  final  week  of  the  programme  the  group  were  asked  to  decorate  a  bottle.    They  then  had  to  write  a  letter  to  their  children  that  they  could  give  them  when  they  were  teenagers.    The  letter  was  to  include  a  message  to  their  children  about  how  they  felt  about  alcohol  and  drugs  following the  programme.    Many  of  the  participants’  commented  that  they  felt  they  had  a  much  better  knowledge  of  the  risks  involved  in  alcohol  and  drug  use.  One  girl  wrote:    “I  wish  someone  had  told  me  what  I  am  going  to  tell  you  at  your  age.    Then  I  may  not  have  taken  as  many  risks.”