Family Service

Are you a family member with concerns about someone you love?

Family Service

The family service offers whole family interventions.

The family service offers whole family interventions to reduce the impact of substance and gambling use on children and support parents.

The Family Service is managed by Motiv8 Addiction Services and is a structured, solution-focused programme of intervention and support that aims to:

  • Prevent harm in families from alcohol or drug use, gambling or gaming
  • Reduce impact on children and support parents
  • Build resilience within the family
  • Improve support networks and communication
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Family Service

What does the Family Service involve?

Who is the service for?

The service is a voluntary one that’s available to any family member that is affected by alcohol use, drug use, gambling or gaming. Every family is assessed on an individual basis and solutions are offered accordingly.

Parents and children aged between 3-18 are offered individual support with a Motiv8 worker. Thereafter, feedback sessions, where appropriate, are offered to foster communication and support within the family.

Parents, children and families can either self-refer or be referred by other services or agencies that they are working with. Ideally, we like to work with both parents and children simultaneously, but this is not essential. Parents can seek support regardless of whether their children are engaging, and children and young people can also receive individual support, too. We make use of Gillick competence to determine whether a child or young person is competent and able to provide their consent to support.

Where do we offer support?

Appointments are offered at our Douglas offices or at our satellite clinics around the island, where possible. When the need arises, we also offer home visits for service users who are unable to attend an appointment elsewhere. Children and young people can be seen either in our dedicated play therapy area, in school or at a mutually agreeable venue that the child is happy with.

Is it confidential?

The Family Service is free, confidential and non-judgemental, with appropriate liaison with key services involved with any families. All service users sign a confidentiality policy, which is explained during the initial contact and assessment.

Comments from Parents

“It’s been fantastic to talk to someone and I don’t feel judged.”

“I have learnt how to distract myself when I feel I need a drink and think about the consequences if I did drink. ”

Comments from Children

“It’s good because it makes me feel like I can do anything.”

“When you talk about the problems in your life it feels like the weight of the world has been lifted off your shoulders. ”

MPACT

The Forward Trust

Motiv8 is also a proud partner licenced by the Forward Trust to deliver M-Pact, a whole family structured Family Intervention and Support Programme:

“M-PACT is a multi-family, structured brief intervention. Its psychosocial, educational and systematic approach, aims to improve the well-being of children and families affected by parental substance misuse. The programme supports families to address areas such as communication and coping strategies as well as educating family members on what addiction is and the impact it has. It is now one of the longest-standing interventions for parental substance misuse in the UK and continues to be a unique and innovative programme, which puts children at its heart.”