Other

Feature: All-round drugs support

5 mins read Health
Simon Vevers visits Derby to find out about a new way of working for the drug treatment sector, where professionals work with parents who use drugs to improve support and outcomes for the whole family.

Children may be off school quite a lot, not necessarily because their parents haven't got them there but because they fear their parents are using heroin back at home," says Sheryl Dago. "They'll tell the teacher they have a tummy ache so they can go back and watch them. They're almost carers."

Dago is describing the grim collateral damage from drug abuse and how it becomes ingrained across generations. She believes passionately that a co-ordinated family-based approach is the only way to help the users and the luckless, often hidden, child victims.

Only four months into her job as co-ordinator of Addaction's family-focused project in Derby, she is spearheading the charity's drug and alcohol treatment Breaking the Cycle initiative. As Dago details how she works with other agencies, you get a sense that this is ground that should have been broken on a national scale years ago. Valuable time has been lost and she is determined to ensure that these families and individuals get the service they need.

Register Now to Continue Reading

Thank you for visiting Children & Young People Now and making use of our archive of more than 60,000 expert features, topics hubs, case studies and policy updates. Why not register today and enjoy the following great benefits:

What's Included

  • Free access to 4 subscriber-only articles per month

  • Email newsletter providing advice and guidance across the sector

Register

Already have an account? Sign in here

Posted under:


More like this

Hertfordshire Youth Workers

“Opportunities in districts teams and countywide”

Administration Apprentice

SE1 7JY, London (Greater)