Background to Report
According to a HSE report published in 2022, 21% of individuals receiving treatment for alcohol use in addiction services were residing with children aged 17 years or younger. Furthermore, an additional 21% had children in that age group who were not currently living with them. Similarly, among cases treated for drug use, nearly 16% involved individuals living with children aged 17 or younger, and almost a quarter involved individuals with non-resident children in that age range1
.
In response to these findings, and aligned to the 2017- 2025 National Drug and Alcohol Strategy—which focuses on strengthening the prevention of drug and alcohol use and associated harms among children and young people—funding was allocated by the National Social Inclusion Office to HSE Community Health Organisations (CHOs) to enhance services for children and families affected by substance use.1 Services were invited to submit proposals for the delivery of evidence-based parenting and family support programmes under Levels Three and Four of the TUSLA-adapted Hardiker Model2. Level Three refers to the need for an integrated, multi-agency response to address the needs of complex families, while Level Four focuses on optimising support for children and families where parental alcohol or drug use is present.
Coolmine Therapeutic Community (Coolmine) submitted a proposal to expand its existing Parents
Under Pressure (PuP) Programme to the HSE Dublin and North East. This expansion aimed to reach high-risk families not currently engaged with addiction services, as well as families already engaged but requiring additional support at Levels Three and Four of the Hardiker Model2. The proposal was successful, and funding was secured to employ 1.5 PuP practitioners to deliver the programme within the community. This initiative was part of a broader collaboration and strategy involving key service providers who had also secured funding under the Hidden Harm Strategy, coordinated by the Addiction Services Manager HSE and Family Support Co-Ordinator HSE Dublin and North East. A steering committee was established to oversee the project, including the evaluation of the programme’s impact, stakeholder engagement, activities, and partnerships. Each of the initiatives were to have their own individual evaluation processes.
