The women’s residential programme at Ashleigh House has been supporting women for over 18 years, during which time hundreds of women have been helped to overcome their addiction to alcohol or drugs. Our residential programme at Ashleigh House runs for a period of six months. During this time, women receive visits weekly from their family, and children can come and stay at weekends. The development of mother and child facilities will give many more women the opportunity to overcome their addiction through new facilities on-site.
We know from client feedback that if there were facilities provided for children to live on-site with their mother, the mothers would be better supported as their children’s personal development could be strengthened through specialist counselling and child welfare initiatives for children of primary school age.
Barrier
One of the barriers to women with children coming into the programme at present is their worry about breaking their emotional attachment with their children; this new initiative would prevent that from happening and results in more mothers seeking out our help.
As part of this development, a crèche for 15 children will be provided from 9:00am to 5:00pm for pre-school aged children. During these hours, mothers with children in the crèche will be able to focus on treating their addiction by taking part in the residential programme, which consists of group sessions, one-to-one counselling with staff, and peer-to-peer support. Children of primary school age will attend a local school and take part in after school classes to help them develop a range of life skills as well as a good education.
After Hours Facility
After hours, mothers will look after their own children with support from staff, through the development of new mother and child accommodation on-site. Parenting skills classes will also be provided for those who need support, working with other organisations such as the child welfare service.
Working with Social Services we will also be facilitating one-to-one counselling for children who have been affected by their mother’s addiction, to ensure that they can enjoy a better childhood and better life. Research shows that working with children who have been affected by their parent’s substance misuse helps to break a cycle of addiction.
We want these children to grow up with a positive and bright future, rather than follow in their parent’s footsteps.
Funding required €13,550
