residential care and substance misuse: exploring the relationship

1. Residential Care and Substance Misuse: Exploring the relationship Michael Murphy and Sarah Ingram University of Salford M.Murphy@salford.ac.uk Tel 0161 295 2481

3. Participants Twenty two children and young people were included in the research. 11 female 11 male Between 12 � 20 years old Average age 14 years

4. Methodology Workbooks and semi-structured interviews were used to elicit children�s experience and perspectives. Multiple layers of consent Other choices � who?, where? And who with? Interviews took place mainly in the residential establishments

5. Fractured family relationships (KF1) Residential care can exaggerate the experience of fractured familial relationships and loss frequently driven by familial substance misuse *My big sister used to [help me]. We were close, but now I don�t know where she is. She just left.

6. Thresholds (KF 2) 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. I just don�t know how I would�ve ended up if I�d have stayed living with my Mum, coz I was doing everything wrong. But my Mum never knew what I was doing. She never used to shout at us or stuff like that, she never knew what the hell we were doing. Which is kind of sad.

7. Exposure to Substance (KF 3) *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). *My uncle was an alky. My aunty drinks. My other aunty smokes weed 24/7. My Dad was a druggy, That�s about it.

8. Residential Care and Substance Use (KF4) Rather it was the particular stressors of residential care that led to some children seeking relief through absconding, substance use and sexual adventures * Sometimes we�ll be here and it�ll get really stressin� and the staff�ll be doing your head in and they�ll just be winding you up and winding you up and then you�ll think, d�you know what I can�t be bothered, I�ll go *Getting pissed. Going missing. That makes you happy.

9. Substance Ambivalence (KF 5) Some had very negative views of their parent�s use I saw her (mum) change into a totally different person. She didn�t care about anything but herself really But seemed unable to extend that view to their own use *I know it�s bad for me because my Mum died through it but, I don�t know, it just doesn�t make me stop. *A drink. No, coz that makes me sound like me Mum then�, a drink.

10. Attitude to own substance use (KF6) The children in this study were reasonably well informed about different types of substance use. Government classification seemed not to influence their views on use. Substances seemed to be unofficially classified into three groups:- 1)Desireable (Alcohol, cannabis and nicotine) . 2)Recreational (ecstasy, LSD, cocaine etc)�OK as an occasional �treat� 3)Totally unacceptable (Heroin and crack-cocaine)

11. Too much/Dependence (KF7 Participants seemed to have very strong views about �too much� use

12. 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.

13. Recommendations (2) 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

14. Residential Care and Substance Misuse: Exploring the relationship Michael Murphy and Sarah Ingram University of Salford M.Murphy@salford.ac.uk Tel 0161 295 2481