The
project works with children of substance
misusing parents (aged 4-13yrs)
The
project began in January 2005 and
is funded by Rotherham Primary Care
Trust and NRF, until end March 2006.
The
project employs 3 staff members:
Natalie
Harris – Part Time Project Worker.
Natalie’s role includes supporting
children and young people in one to
one sessions and issue based project
work. Natalie has also been instrumental
in the organising of holiday activities
for the project.
Julie
Nelson - Part Time Administrator.
Part of Julie’s role is to collate
all statistical information that is
needed for our data base for the purpose
of monitoring and evaluation, preparation
of papers for meetings, arranging
appointments and general administrative
support for Natalie and myself.
Lastly
there is myself.. Sandra Kay –
Senior Project Worker. My role is
to support children and young people
with one to one sessions, organise
and support issue based project sessions,
liaise with other agencies, offer
support and advice to Natalie and
Julie and ensure that the project
is providing an effective service
for the children and young people
that are accessing it.
According
to the study by the Advisory Council
on the Misuse of Drugs, Children of
parents who use drugs are more likely
to exhibit illegal behaviours, fail
to thrive, have alcohol and other
drug dependency and have more health
problems, such as blood-borne virus
infections.
From
birth onwards parents’ drug
problems can endanger their children
s health in many ways and cause a
great deal of emotional and psychological
damage that often goes unnoticed.
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A
Government report was published in
2003 – “Hidden Harm”
responding to the needs of children
of problem drug users.
Key
findings include:
It is estimated that there are 200,000
– 300,000 children of problem
drug users in England and Wales. This
represents 2-3% of all children under
16.
The
study found; that children of drug
using parents rarely talk about their
experiences, either out of shame or
fear. A as result they may grow increasingly
isolated.
The
Free 2B Me project addresses these
issues whilst also working towards
3 of the 5 key objectives of the children’s
Act.
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Health
& Well Being |
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Engaging
& Achieving |
|
Making
a positive contribution |
All
of which work towards improving the
life chances of children, enabling
them to reach their full potential.
All the children that access he Free
2B Me project have parents that are
substance misusing either alcohol
or drugs (mainly heroin.) Records
show that children of substance misusing
parents are 7 times more likely to
become involved in substance misuse
themselves.
|
84%
of children accessing Free 2B
Me project are from NRF targeted
areas across the Borough of Rotherham |
|
69%
of the children are on the Child
Protection Register |
|
6%
of the children are self harmers
|
|
30%
of the children are currently
experimenting with alcohol and
tobacco |
January
– March 2005 - 22 children worked
with
January
– June 2005 - 41 children worked
with (this includes figures from Jan-March)
The
main aims of the project are to Reduce
the Risk Factors associated with Children’s
involvement in substance misuse through:
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Engaging
children in the process of addressing
the issues and challenges they
may face through issue based project
work and one to one sessions. |
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Providing
ongoing support for children in
order to remove barriers to learning
and prevent anti-social behaviour. |
All
the children participating receive
an achievement certificate.
Face
to Face - One to one sessions are
held in a variety of venues where
children feel comfortable and safe.
The
sessions allow the children to talk
about issues they are facing to someone
that can show empathy and understanding.
We often complete personal action
plans where together we set achievable
targets to be reached over short periods
of time, often parents and schools
are involved in the process to support
the children’s achievements.
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