The role of family support services in drug prevention.

The role of the family- and family-based interventions- in responding to drug problems has been the subject of research internationally. This report focuses on family support services (FSS) in their role of strengthening families to act as a buffer to drug problems. It aims to ascertain the extent to which current services explicitly identify drug problems as a target of their general activities and the extent to which family support work may be judged to play a positive role in the prevention of drug problems and the potential for expanding the scope of family support as to enhance its capacity regarding drug prevention. The research included a literature review on family support and a survey based on 461 self-completed questionnaires, which represented a 26% return of surveyed services. The survey found that only one-fifth of FSS stated that drugs were a major focus of their work. The study suggest that the remaining FSS have considerable potential to provide drug prevention in their work. The study concludes that the major areas identified that FSS could play a greater role in responding to drug problems are: new programmes/ initiatives, resources, promotion, coordination and integration, training and mainstreaming of drug prevention in family support work