Support The Family Improve The Outcome Workshop

Support the Family Improve the Outcome (STFITO) Workshops are primarily for specialist AOD services providing education on anti-oppressive practice to enhance service engagement with families and carers impacted by substance use. Barriers to help-seeking are well documented and include a lack of local availability or knowledge of services, services targeting the drug user rather than family, or a reluctance to seek support due to the shame, fear and stigma surrounding addiction. Resisting stigma and discrimination at a policy, systems and practice level is a constant recommendation for family inclusion and the Support the Family Improve the Outcome workshop is a direct response from FDS to address this barrier.

Central to the curriculum of STFITO is a curated program outlining the impact of stigma and discrimination for families, with the aim to increase an understanding of the experience for families applying the FDS ‘Stages of Change for Families’ model. The workshop offers a series of coping and resilience strategies to offset the stress and strain that families experience, and explores how to engage with families to establish a better understanding of their situations and experiences in relation to problematic use of AOD within the family unit.

The in-service STFITO workshop focuses on understanding and identifying what individual triggers, assumptions and biases exist with the intention to combat stigma and discrimination towards families and carers. There is evidence that demonstrates when family support is provided, better outcomes are achieved as the family is a key resource in harm avoidance and treatment effectiveness strategies. The workshop assists in defining the family unit and the different ways in which people access support. The workshop identifies ‘what are the needs of families in their unique circumstances and ‘what are their expectations’ and presents strategies for constructive service engagement with families.

 Engaging with families & carers of a person who has alcohol and/or other drug dependence.

Family Drug Support (FDS) has developed a highly successful model for supporting families & carers affected by someone’s problematic substance use.

Workshop Outcomes:

• Gain knowledge of successful ‘Models of Change’ for supporting families affected by someone’s drug issues.

• Identify the 5 stages that families experience and effective ways to respond.

• Learn how to communicate more effectively with families in a professional situation.

• Develop clearer understanding and gain skills to assist families to build resilience and improve the outcome for both the person with the drug issue and the family.

• Recognise the benefit of psycho-social education for a family, in relation to the significant barriers