An Interagency Model of Service DeliveryGetting It right for Children affected by parenta
substance misuse
The basis for the approach
Current research indicates that intervention requires:
 A clear evidence base
 Early and proportionate intervention
 Promotion and strengthening of the role of universal
services
 Accessible services
 Strong multi-agency working
 Intensive support to families when they need it.
 Appropriate and meaningful information sharing across
agencies.
Parental Substance Misuse – A growing problem
Perth and Kinross – a proportionate and integrated
approach:
 Children Affected by Parental Substance Misuse
(CAPSM) Group
 Barnardo’s Hopscotch
 Change is a Must (CIAM)
Co-ordinating the approach in response to risk and need
Barnardo’s
Hopscotch
CAPSM
Group
Providing confidential
counselling, befriending,
individual and group work
across the spectrum of need
and risk
Identifying Children at
an early stage,
ensuring each has a
CYPs needs being
named worker
met by their families,
communities &
universal services
Coping
Children and Young
People Affected By
Parental Substance
Misuse
Universal Services
CIAM
Providing
parenting capacity
assessments and
intensive support
for children at
Children at risk of
significant risk of
serious harm, needing
harm
specialised and acute
intervention
Not Coping
Children Affected by Parental Substance
Misuse Group
The CAPSM group was set up with a specific remit:
 To help inform planning and integrated service delivery
 To identify children at need or at risk as a consequence
of parental substance misuse whilst promoting and
strengthening the role of universal services.
 To share information across agencies
 To ensure children have a named worker to ensure that
their needs are being met.
 To make appropriate onward referrals.
Barnardo’s Hopscotch
Provides direct support to children and young people 5-18 years affected
by parental substance misuse as part of an inter-agency approach to the
whole family, offering:

1-1 work with child or young person

Therapeutic groupwork

Befriending

Confidential Counselling – Young
People can self refer by text or email.
Outcomes
Our indicators demonstrate:
 Improved Mental Health and Wellbeing
 Reduced impact of parental substance misuse on
children
 Increased ability to report safety concerns
 Improved links with reliable and supportive role models
 Development through new experiences and interests
 Views and opinions acted upon
Change is a Must (CIAM)
CIAM is a 2 year pilot project with Children’s, Health and Drug and Alcohol
services brought together in a multi-agency team to


-
Provide intensive support and assessment of families- - affected by
parental substance misuse
with children from pre-birth to 8 years/ at significant risk of harm
Offers intensive Individualised, flexible programmes which are focused
on:
The Child
Parental recovery
Family interaction
Improving Health for parents and children
An Adult Attachment approach
Safeguarding children
Overall aims are to:

Evaluate and cascade learning of best practice

Improve methods and time-scales for decision making
Outcomes
An Action Research Model is incorporated into the work and a specific Msc
research project was undertaken which for 9 Families,10 Children, 2 unborn
babies,15 parents demonstrated:

Swift decision-making

Improved Health Outcomes for all children

Improved Educational Outcomes

Improved parental/carer availability

Improved health and reduced substance use

Positive Recovery journeys.
Alcohol and
Drugs
Partnership
Children with complex needs
Enhanced Children in Need
Health
Visiting Universal Services
Service
Children
and
Families
Social
Work
GIRFEC
Health CHILD
Community
Health
Partnership
Change is
a Must
Adult Drug &
Alcohol Services
Hopscotch
Focused
Education Education
Provision – eg
Community
Nurture
Link Workers
Groups
Early Years
Strategies
GOPR
Transferability and Sustainability
Policy &
Planning
Performance
Management
Service
Design
Monitoring &
Evaluation
Reporting
Framework
Service User
Involvement
Contact Details
Laura Falconer, Children’s Services Manager, Barnardos
Hopscotch Tel: 01738 472270
Email: Laura.Falconer@barnardos.org.uk
Julie Baker, Senior Practitioner, Change is a Must
Tel: 01738 472260
Email: JBaker@pkc.gov.uk