One family's experience
A single mother aged 47 and son aged 17.
Referral was made to the project by Rochdale Borough wide Housing (the local ALMO)
Issues included current risk of eviction, mental health concerns and substance misuse linked to poor health and unmanaged hepatitis C, low educational attainment of son on 'At-risk' register, debt and budgeting concerns.
Family Intervention Project involvement
Close joint working with a community drugs worker motivated the service user to begin a methadone programme. Stabilised substance misuse enabled a mental health assessment to take place and a diagnosis of a psychotic illness to be made.
The FIP key worker coordinated with the GP, drugs worker, community psychiatric nurse and psychiatrist. Medication enabled the client's behaviour to become more rational and to attend a specialist detox unit. Following successful detox the service user is no longer using any drugs or alcohol.
The family also worked with the FIP worker on:
- parenting support - enabling removal of son from the 'At-risk' register
- whole family support - enabling service user's parents to care for son while service user attended detox
- addressing anti-social behaviour - no complaints for the last 12 months
- police community support officer (PCSO) alerted to ensure that the property was not targeted by local youths at night
- improvements to physical health enabling son to access training
- support to manage finances, address debt and claim disability living allowance (DLA).