SUPPORTING FATHER-CHILD RELATIONSHIPS & REDUCING SUBSTANCE USE Eva Geser – Families Peer Support and Substance Use Programme

HEALTHY PARENT-CHILD RELATIONSHIPS & SUBSTANCE USE  Evidence for the strong role of families, parents and fathers in reducing and preventing substance use  Underlying ‘theme’ – parents, families & carers play important role in both providing ‘protective ‘ factors and reducing ‘at risk’ factors, related to substance use

‘STRONG, EFFECTIVE FAMILIES’ – ROLE OF ‘RESILIENCE’  Growing evidence of the key ‘protective’ aspects of families and parenting which reduce risk of adolescence substance misuse Resnick ( 1997), Velleman et al (2000 ), Kumpfer et al (2003) “Strong, effective families avert many adverse outcomes, not just substance abuse’ (Kumpfer, 2003)  Key aspects of parenting and family life provide ‘most important’ protective factors against substance use in later life (Resnick, 1997)

KEY PROTECTIVE FACTORS?  CARING –parent/child love, attachment, ‘caring and sharing’  SUPERVISION – clear boundaries, right and wrong, problem solving, constructive use of time  COHESION & COMMUNICATION – positive attitude and contribution to family ‘norms’ & values, well communicated expectations, values drug use etc  Provide the key ingredients towards low/no substance use; - self esteem/choice of peers - self efficacy/purpose in life - greater participation in family life and society - determination & perseverance

FROM ‘RISK’ TO ‘RESILIENCE’  Interventions to reduce ‘risk factors’ in ‘at risk’ parenting and families -conflict -poor communication -abuse -poor management -low expectations TREND? – away from focus on ‘risks’, ‘deficits’  strengths & empowerment

MODELS AND DIVERSITY? ‘models within models’  PARENT/EDUCATION FOCUSSED (SKILL BASED, UK)  FAMILY/THERAPEUTIC (PARENT & CHILD FOCUSSED) ‘Strengthening Families’ (USA) -Family focussed models may be best for families with drug use  Culturally specific & adaptive models for family support and parenting will be appropriate to meet needs of different groups ‘Strengthening Families, Strengthening Communities’ REU (GB)

RESILIENCE, PREVENTION & FATHERHOOD?  Fathers’ role fundamental to prevention & resilience (emotional, social, psychological, cultural)  Fathers’ have specific roles and contributions to make to build resilience (e.g. play/independence) (important to value and understand this)  Need for ‘gender’ (father) specific approaches to parenting and family support  Move away from ‘deficits’  ‘strengths’, in terms of fathers’ role in parenting and family support

‘ HOPE, STRESS AND LOVE’ Listening to Fathers PARENTLINE (2004)  WAY FORWARD; Research from 4,838 calls received on their help line from fathers; “ In the end, father-friendly services are services that take a ‘whole family’ approach to supporting families, recognize that really inclusive services must be sensitive to the different needs and experiences of everyone in their communities and take seriously the impact of men in those families on their children. The first – and last – step in all this is to ‘get your head in the right place’; Understand how important fathers are in the lives of their children Respect fathers for sometimes being different from mothers and having different priorities and ways of dong things Start where the father is not where you think he should be or where stereotypes might lead Consciously visualise each father’s potential to play a positive role in his children’s lives”