FAMILY SUPPORT
FAMILY JOURNEY
I
n its early years Adfam was run by volunteers using the vestry at the back of St George ’ s Church in Campden Hill , West London . It was established in 1984 by Simon Ann Dorin who could not find the support she needed to deal with her son ’ s heroin use . Over time the charity has evolved , adapted , and changed , but our mission has always remained the same – to improve life for families affected by substance use . When Viv Evans joined as chief executive in 2001 a key feature of Adfam ’ s work was its projects in prisons , through support teams in prison visitor centres . This support was groundbreaking at the time and provided a vital lifeline .
Viv ’ s ambition was to grow the charity further to become a campaigning organisation too , and one that influenced policy . One of the first projects under her stewardship was the development of Guidance and good practice in working with families which was made available
This is a special year for Adfam , celebrating 40 years of supporting families . Robert Stebbings looks at how far they ’ ve come
to professionals in health and social care sectors . The resource was co-produced with people with lived experience , something which became a key feature of Adfam ’ s philosophy .
At that time , there were many smaller family support groups based in local authorities in England , largely run by people with lived experience and offering peer support to families . Adfam gradually took on the role of an infrastructure organisation , bringing them together and representing them . Sadly , in 2010 a lot of the funding for family support groups disappeared , with many being absorbed into drug and alcohol treatment services or having to close altogether .
STRUGGLE TO SURVIVE Adfam itself had to navigate the ever-changing funding environment . Core funding from the Department of Health ceased in 2007 , and in 2010 came the additional blow of losing funding for most of our prison services . In more recent years funding from trusts and foundations has become increasingly harder to attain , so we adapted by offering services including training to local authorities .
Our work has taken various forms – delivering direct services , influencing policy , promoting good practice , working with officials to represent and give a voice to family members , working with local family groups , promoting our training , and working in co-production with people with lived experience . The direct services have once again become a key part of our work , such as Adfam @ Home , where we offer family members remote one-to-one support with a trained family support professional . While no longer an infrastructure organisation , Adfam continues to be the voice for families within the sector . We also bring others together and campaign for change by facilitating the Alcohol and Families Alliance ( AFA ), and Alliance of Family Support Organisations .
COMPLEX NEEDS While lots has changed in the last 40 years , the need for support for families hasn ’ t gone away and never will . Needs have become ever more complex , with financial difficulties , the cost of living , domestic abuse and violence , and mental health issues all contributing .
Furthermore , families ’ voices still suffer stigma and struggle to be heard . ‘ What ’ s needed , but has so often been lacking , is an integrated approach to supporting these families , as the substance misuse almost always isn ’ t the only problem ,’ says Viv . ‘ This doesn ’ t just apply to adult family members and friends either – we must ensure the needs of children are not forgotten too .’
We ’ ve achieved some major landmarks throughout the years , breaking new ground with specific groups . For instance , our BEAD project supports those bereaved through substance misuse , and we work with families whose loved ones are veterans , or are experiencing gambling problems , have hepatitis C , or inject drugs . Our families might be experiencing child-parent violence and abuse , be affected by foetal alcohol spectrum disorder ( FASD ), or they might
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