kinship care week webinar: how can professionals support kinship care families?
TRANSCRIPT
• Introduce Mentor, ADEPIS and CAYT
• Define kinship care
• Outline Kinship Care Week
• Explore what kinship carers’ needs are, esp. around substance misuse in children
• Get to know more about drugs and alcohol and their impact on young people
• Talk about why awareness of substance misuse is important for kinship carers
Today’s webinar
Mentor’s mission
To promote the health and wellbeing of
children and young people and prevent
alcohol and drug misuse.
Research Programmes Policy
Develop life skills that build resilience
to risk in children & young people
How we do it
Mentor-ADEPIS is publicly acknowledged as
the leading source of evidence-based
resources for alcohol and drug education
and prevention for schools.
Mentor-ADEPIS
In 2015 ADEPIS was expanded to include the
Centre for Analysis of Youth Transitions (CAYT)
database of impact studies.
CAYT
Mentor-ADEPIS seminars
• CAYT seminars
• Teacher training
Plus…
• The Mentor Community of Evidence-based Practice
Kinship care is an
arrangement for a
family member or
close friend to care
for children whose
parents are unable
to look after them.
What is kinship care?
The most common
reason for children
entering kinship care is
parental drug and
alcohol abuse (67%).
Reasons for kinship care
In young people, drugs and alcohol can:
• contribute to poor judgment and bad decisions
• increase the chances of getting into fights,
accidents and other dangerous situations
• damage the growing body and developing brain
• lead to addiction during adolescence (though
evidence suggests this doesn’t happen a lot)
Why is this important?
Our experience shows that kinship carers play a vital role in keeping children safe from drugs and alcohol.
Their attitudes and behaviours can help shape young people’s views on drink and drugs.
The role of kinship carers
A recent study found that
77% of kinship carers
have asked for
professional support...
Why are we here today?
• Knowledge about key issues
• Advice on how to talk about substances
• Education and training
• Knowing what to do if they’re concerned
• Peer and one-to-one support
• Help lines or a point of contact
• Resources and further information.
Practical needs
• Empathy and gentleness
• Encouragement and positivity
• Cared for to feel they’re not alone
• That they can make a positive difference
• A non-judgmental, non-blaming attitude
• Awareness or understanding of their situation – and that it could happen to anyone.
Emotional needs
Make sure you communicate these two important facts to kinship carers:
1. They did not cause their son or daughter’s alcohol or other drug problems. Neither did the child.
2. The carer and their children can’t cure the parents’ alcohol or drug problems, but they can encourage them to seek treatment and support.
• Understanding what kind of carer
you are and what support is there
• Child Benefit? Tax Credits? Kinship
Carer Allowance?
• Paying for food, clothes, school
supplies, toys
• Supporting yourselves as well
Financial needs
• One-to-one support
• Peer support groups
• Couples’ therapy
• Family group conferencing
• Drop-in sessions
• Educational groups
• Respite services
Types of support
DO:
• Pick the right time
• Start the discussion early, and keep talking
• Remind them drinking is not the norm
• Place limits and consequences on behaviour
• Be nurturing and express warmth
• Encourage children to express opinions
• Use adverts, or soap stories to spark the topic
• Ask what they’ve learned about drugs at school
Advice for carers
DON’T:
• Tell them to ‘just say no’ – it’s not effective
• Exaggerate the harms – you’ll sound less credible
• Preach, use scare tactics, sound angry or accusatory.
• Try and get everything across in one go. Many small talks are better.
• Interrogate them about what they’ve been up to when you’re not around.
• Panic. If your child has tried drugs, be calm when discussing it with them.
Rules and boundaries about drinking mean
young people are less likely to get drunk.
This means kinship carers should
set boundaries and reward children
if they stick to them.
If they break the rules, consequences
should be consistent and fair.
Recommendations for carers
If a kinship carer is concerned, encourage them to:
• Get information from sources with specialist knowledge, online or in person.
• Get support for themselves, too, and find someone they can talk to and trust.
Where carers can go for help
Kinship
Care
Guide for
England
Alcohol
& Drugs:
Guide for
Kinship
Carers
Kinship Care Guide for Scotland
Resources + advice