Strengthening Families Programme
The use of alcohol, tobacco and illegal drugs by young people impacts on their health in the short and long term and is also associated with anti social behaviour, crime and drop out from school.
Many of the factors which protect young people from misusing drugs and alcohol, or put them at greater risk of doing so, are linked to family life and parenting. The Strengthening Families Programme 10-14, licensed from Iowa University to use in the UK, aims to strengthen these protective factors (parenting, communication, and young people’s resilience skills) and simultaneously reduce key risk factors that are located within families.
These projects are participating in a randomised control trial which is being funded by the National Prevention Research initiative. This study will examine whether the results found for the programme in the USA translate to a UK context. It will identify whether the programme delays or reduces substance use, and collect information that will help in wider implementation of the programme. The trial started September 2009 with results available in March 2014.
Not all families that participate in the Strengthening Families Programme are guaranteed a place. To help identify whether the Programme has been effective in delaying or reducing alcohol use by young people, participating families will be put into two groups; one group receives the additional support though the Strengthening Families Programme, and the other group receives standard support. A comparison can then be made of how effective both forms of treatment are. You will have an equal chance of joining either group.
A centre of excellence has been established to build capacity and train the new co-ordinators and facilitators in each area. It has been based on the model of the Strengthening Families Programme that has been developed and successfully implemented in Cardiff since 2005. The Cardiff Drug and Alcohol Team have planned and delivered numerous programmes engaging many families across the city and has acquired the expertise, training experience and certification to train and mentor the other projects in Wales. Comprehensive, bilingual training materials have also been developed to support the roll out.
Strengthening Families Programmes are established in Caerphilly, Swansea, Flintshire, Carmarthenshire, Merthyr, Wrexham and Rhondda Cynon Taff. These projects are participating in a Randomised Control Trial (RCT) which is being funded by the National Prevention Research initiative (NPRI).
The programme is available to any family living in these seven locations with children aged between 10 – 14 years of age. Parents who would like to:
- Develop parenting skills to help children to have a good experience in their teenage years
- Help the transition from primary into secondary school
- Help children build the skills to avoid problems with drugs and alcohol
- New ideas for parents on how they can talk to their children so they listen
- Improve parents relationships with their children
- Increase confidence in setting boundaries
- Build confidence in children
- Help children set goals for their future and support goal achievement
The research will involve families taking part in four interviews over the next two years, each lasting about two and a half hours and they usually take place in the evening. Childcare for young children is available and transport can be provided. Further information is available on the Strengthening Families website. If you want to join the programme, please contact your local Strengthening Families Programme team.
