Research shows that these services break the intergenerational transfer of drug and alcohol use from parents to children .
It ’ s a quirk of history that means – unlike most specialist care services and community drug treatment services – the family service is funded by referrers , with their own budgetary and operational pressures , rather than funding the residential provider directly .
Phoenix Futures opened its first family residential service in 1987 . Since then , thousands of parents have been able to address substance use issues in a residential setting while they take parental care of their children . Over the last 40 years Phoenix has developed specialist family residential units in London , Brighton , Bexhill and Sheffield . We established the services in response to the need for parents and pregnant women to be able to access intensive treatment without being separated from their children . This treatment option encouraged more parents to address their addiction , reducing trauma experienced by children and their families .
Family rehab programmes recognise the integral role of family in the recovery process and provide valuable support , education , and resources for both the individual struggling with addiction and their loved ones . By addressing family dynamics and relationships , these programmes contribute to improved treatment outcomes and enhanced quality of life for everyone involved .
The National Specialist Family Service provides a unique opportunity to offer parents the core benefit of treatment alongside specialist parenting and childcare . The service supports families to achieve a range of outcomes specifically for them , such as improved communication skills to help resolve conflicts , rebuild trust , and improve relationships among family members . Addressing underlying issues within families – such as trauma , codependency or enabling behaviours – can establish and reinforce healthy boundaries within the family dynamic .
The National Specialist Family Service based in Sheffield provides :
>> drug and alcohol treatment programmes for adults
>> detox for parents , including specialist detox for pregnant women
>> interventions to support mums and dads with parenting approaches
>> onsite Ofsted-regulated childcare for the children , delivered to the highest standard and supporting their developmental needs
Addiction often strains relationships and causes emotional pain and conflict within the family . Family rehab programmes provide opportunities for healing , forgiveness , and reconciliation , allowing family members to address past harms , rebuild trust , and strengthen their bonds .
Evidence shows that that investment in addiction services for parents delivers safe , effective treatment as well as significant value for money to the public purse . Research shows that these services break the intergenerational transfer of drug and alcohol use from parents to children . These services also create a network of family-focused resources including maternity care , specialist midwives , health visitors , perinatal mental health , GP services and more , all accessed from one residential setting .
It ’ s devastating that all this will be lost because of a failure to create a simple funding mechanism that works for families and their professional support .
James Armstrong is director of marketing and innovation at Phoenix Futures .
‘ Residential treatment should be an integral – and accessible – part of the menu of options available to people seeking treatment for their substance use . It is clear that this element of the sector is not thriving , or even sustainable , under current funding and procurement arrangements .
Units are not spread according to need across the country , and there is a lack of specialist provision for some of the most vulnerable in our society , such as adolescents and women escaping intimate partner violence . Government should provide clear leadership to develop and implement a commissioning model that ensures the availability of – and equitable access to – this evidence-based intervention .’
Will Haydock , executive director of policy and external affairs , Collective Voice
‘ Since the start of austerity the number of children being placed in local authority care has skyrocketed . Cuts in social care provision have seen a shift in the remit of social service involvement with families from one of support to one of assessment and recommendations . This shift , combined with a lack of funds to support families at risk of separation due to the unmet health needs of parents , means that our children are being failed .
The Independent review of children ’ s social care has described the disadvantage faced by care-experienced people in England as the “ civil rights issue of our time ”. Phoenix Futures are the last family rehab in England and it would be a tragedy to lose such a lifeline to the families who access it . Rather than closing , the centre should be used as a blueprint of public service reform and as part of the levelling up project as children in the north are at much greater risk of experiencing care .’
Amy Van Zyl , chief executive officer , Women ’ s REFORM CIC
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