Leading charity hails expansion of lifeline service for mothers and babies

The expansion of a rehabilitation service helping mothers recover from addiction and trauma while keeping families together has been hailed by experts.

The residential support allows mothers to stay with their young children while receiving life-changing help to tackle drink and drugs problems while strengthening their parenting skills.

The Mother and Child Recovery House in Dundee is funded by the Scottish Government and run by Aberlour, Scotland’s biggest children’s charity, with a sister operation opening in Falkirk next month.

Dawn Ward, director of children and families at Aberlour, believes the specialist package of support offered at the Tayside service has helped change and save lives since opening 18 months ago.

The value of the service is now underpinned by impact reports but Ward added: “The data is crucial but it can be the small, everyday things that stop you short.

“We can see the women engaging and committing to the work and how their confidence grows week by week.

“The women are themselves being cared for in ways that many have never experienced and, over time, that attention builds a new sense of themselves as loving, capable mothers.

“Playing with a child and comforting them can feel like very basic, innate skills but if your parents did not play with you or comfort you then it is not basic at all. It is a skill to be learned.

“Gradually, we see their heads coming up a little bit 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.

“They can flourish and the true value of the work being done is in how many really claim the care of their baby. There is hope in that.”

An independent review of service suggests that for every £1 spent helping the women more than £10 will be saved in the future by keeping their children out of care.

The house cares for up to five women and their children, mostly babies, in a structured programme designed to help them get off street drugs, bolster their parenting, and keep families together.

Most of the women have previously endured issues including homelessness, sexual violence and domestic abuse while many of their parents faced similar challenges around addiction and their mental health.

The average age of the women is 31 and some have already had children removed from their care. 

Ward said: “There is an understanding that for some of the women, this will most likely be a last chance to care for their own child and build that relationship over time.

“It is not an easy option and before being offered a place, 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. They need to engage and commit to it.”

The second house opening soon in Falkirk will be similar in size and structure to the first but, Aberlour believe, will be shaped by the experience gained in Dundee.

Ward said: “There is some group work when the women come together for sessions but not as much as we had expected.

“They are at different stages of recovery, have different care plans and we found one-to-one sessions are more tailored and impactful.”

Few of the women stay longer than six months but the first 12 weeks are crucial when cycles of addiction can be broken and replaced with better and enduring patterns of behaviour.

Ward said: “Women are encouraged to embrace the support in place and the oversight is there to help them break the patterns of addiction.

“Many of the women will say it is tough at the start but, once on the other side, they understand why the parameters are so strict and necessary if they are going to reset.”

The service and model of care has been carefully designed by Aberlour to ensure best practice in relation to recovery and family support.

Both Dundee and Falkirk houses will accept referrals from across Scotland but, while the package of support and care offered to the women will share a common framework each is tailored to the individual.

The support alongside random tests and searches help ensure the women use only prescription drugs –- while regular one to one sessions built around the Parents Under
Pressure programme encourage new ways of thinking about their lives and role as a mother.

Ward said: “If women feel ready to stop taking drugs, we will fully support that but, for others, it is about harm reduction, stabilisation and ensuring only prescribed drugs are being taken.

“There has to be flexibility and we work closely with GPs to find the best pathway for each woman.”

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

“Armed 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 though, 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.”

Lynne O’Brien, Aberlour chief officer, said: “In just a little over a year, the care being offered in Dundee has already transformed the lives of mothers and their children.

“The specialist support is tailored to the needs of each woman and every one is given the skills and encouragement to build a new future for themselves and their babies.

“One mother told me she only wished every woman in her situation could be given the same opportunity so we are delighted that a new house delivering the same life-changing care will soon open in Falkirk and other opportunities will follow.”

This article was written for the Sunday Post and published on Sunday 25th August 2024.