Blog: 'There is a lot of hope here'

Sometimes, it can be the small, everyday things that stop you short, like watching a mum play with her baby.

That might seem to many of us the most natural thing but if your parents did not play with you then it is not natural at all. It is a skill to be learned, an achievement.

The women in the Mother and Child Recovery Houses are themselves being cared for in ways that many have never experienced and, over time, that helps build a sense of themselves as loving, capable mothers.

Gradually, we see the women’s heads lifting when they realise they can do this, that they can live the life they want to live and be the mothers they want to be.

Our houses in Dundee, and now in Falkirk, care for up to four women and their children, up to five years but mostly babies, in a structured programme designed to help them recover from problematic use of drugs and alcohol, strengthen their parenting, and keep families together.

It is not an easy option and women are very clearly told what to expect and what will be expected of them. It is full-on, a lot is asked of them and it is not for everyone. 

Some despite their best intentions are just not at the right stage in their lives but it is too black and white to talk about success or failure.

With new skills and new ways of thinking, we obviously hope the women will recover and care for their children in the long-term.

Whatever happens, their baby spent their first six months with a loving mother, who was doing everything she possibly could to be the best parent possible.

When those babies grow up, they will understand just how hard their mums tried. There is a lot of hope here.

Dawn Ward
Director of Children and Families  

This article was written as part of the 'We are family' special edition supplement with the Sunday Post.