Paper
Residential care and substance misuse: exploring the relationship
- issue: Issue 4 / 2009
- authors: Michael Murphy and Sarah Ingram
- keywords: substance misuse
- views: 3135
- downloaded: 0
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abstract
A qualitative piece of work that explored the relationship between residential care and familial and personal substance use. The research was undertaken as part of a local Hidden Harm initiative.
Purpose
Aimed to explored the family experience, attitude towards and use of substances by children in residential care. Twenty two children and young people were included in the research. Workbooks and semi-structured interviews were used to elicit children's experience and perspectives.
Key findings
- Residential care can exaggerate the experience of fractured familial relationships and loss frequently indicated by familial substance misuse.
- The children in this study did not think that they had been taken into care too early. Some thought (particularly around parental alcohol misuse) that they had been brought into care too late.
- Residential care did not mean more exposure to substance misuse for the children in this study (most had far more exposure to substance problems at home).
- The link between residential care and substance problems in young people seemed to be tied to the experience and stressors of residential care. Substance use could be part of a strategy to escape this stress.
- The children in this study were reasonably well informed about different types of substance use. However, Government classification seemed not to influence use. Some young people had strong views about dependence and 'too much' substance use.
Recommendations/Implications
- Once children are received into residential care great attention needs to be paid to the retention of family and other relationships.
- Care thresholds around alcohol misuse may have been set at too high a level.
- Attention needs to be paid to reducing care based stressors (lack of private space, too many carers etc) to reduce the perceived need for the 'comfort' of substance use.
- Whole family and individual treatment services need to be offered to young people and their families. These services may include abstinence as a concept, but should also aim to challenge dependence and 'too much' use
Michael Murphy, University of Salford, UK.
Email: M.Murphy@salford.ac.uk