A5: Using Family-Centered Peer Recovery Services to Preserve Families Impacted by Substance Use

Substance use disorder (SUD), substance misuse, and overdose are the deadliest and costliest public health crises the U.S. has ever faced. This epidemic has had catastrophic results for our society, but perhaps none more disastrous than for our families. Children living in homes where a parent is misusing a substance are at higher risk for child maltreatment, including polyvictimization; lower socioeconomic status; and problems with social, academic, and family dysfunction. Relationships are one of the foundations of health and well-being; however, substance misuse in families, or by caregivers, has many negative impacts on developing positive relationships. Further, it disrupts this important foundation that contributes to all sectors of development (physical, cognitive, social, and emotional) and, ultimately, health. Affected families are often involved with multiple, and often conflicting systems, including physical and behavioral health, education, the criminal justice and child welfare systems, that overwhelm families already in crisis and can impact recovery of the parent and family. Additionally, the resources of these multiple systems are also overwhelmed. Ultimately, the impact on families, communities and society in general are catastrophic.

Peer support services are now widely accepted as effective in assisting individuals with substance use disorders through their individual recovery journeys. Peer Recovery Coaches have lived experience with substance use or mental health disorders and use their experience to support other individuals in recovery to help them feel understood, less isolated, and supported. They provide advocacy, resource navigation, support, wellness and recovery planning, and facilitate recovery groups. They can be critical in promoting recovery by extending services and support beyond clinical settings. The value of Peer Recovery Coaches (PRCs) to engage and support individuals in recovery is well established. Unfortunately, their training does not typically include how to meet the needs of children and other family members.

JBS International, through funding from the Office of Victims of Crime, is expanding the skills of peer recovery specialists to serve not only the parent in recovery but also meet the needs of the entire family to assist fractured families to heal. We have built on the success of traditional peer recovery services to train Family-Centered-Peer Recovery Coaches (FC-PRC) in communities across the country to support families in clinical and non-clinical settings and promote recovery for both the parent and all members of the family. Family-Centered Peer Recovery Services moves these valuable services from best practice to next practice.

This session will demonstrate how Family-Centered Peer Recovery Coaches improve the lives of all members of the family. Examples from communities across the U.S that have implemented Family-Centered Peer Recovery Services will be presented as well as lessons learned from the developmental evaluation of the program.

Learning Objectives

• Increase understanding of the impact of parental/caregiver substance use on children and families; the relationship to child development, victimization, learning and health will be explored
• About OVC’s innovative approach to improve the lives of children and preserve families impacted by the drug epidemic in the U.S.
• Examples of communities that have implemented Family-Centered Peer Recovery Services and lessons learned from the developmental evaluation of the program

Presenters

Karen Yost
Technical Expert III
JBS International, Inc.

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