Parents like us. The unofficial survival guide to parenting a young person with a substance use disorder

A group of twelve parents living in Victoria, British Columbia came together to create a Parent Handbook. These parents all have one thing in common: they parent a young person who has a substance use disorder.  

What is this handbook about?

This handbook is a collection of shared experiences and stories to help other parents and caregivers find refuge, support and courage to reach out for help. Whether your young person is experimenting with substances or has developed a substance use disorder, this handbook may help you feel connected with other parents and caregivers going through similar experiences. This journey is a marathon, not a sprint, and knowing that there are others who understand what you are going through can be a lifesaver. 

The Improving Treatment Together (ITT) Project

This Parent Handbook was developed as part of the Improving Treatment Together (ITT) Project, which aims to improve the experiences and outcomes of community-based services for young people who use opioids, their families, and service providers, using co-design methods. Nine stakeholder specific workshops were held in four partnering communities (Kelowna, Prince George, Vancouver, Victoria), where participants explored their experiences and defined specific needs for improving opioid treatment services. They then brainstormed and prototyped solutions to address these needs. Three of these prototyped interventions were chosen for development and co-designed with relevant stakeholder groups, including the parent handbook.

This project is co-led by the Canadian Centre on Substance Use and Addiction (CCSA), Foundry Central Office, and Foundry Victoria, in addition to three community partners who are developing their own community-specific resources.

Click the image to read Parents like us. The unofficial survival guide to parenting a young person with a substance use disorder.

For more information about the ITT project, contact: 

 

 

Keywords: Foundry BC, foundry, Victoria BC, Victoria, parents like us, guide, parent handbook, substance use disorder, ITT, improving treatment together, parents, caregivers, Foundry Victoria, Canadian Centre on Substance Use and Addiction, CCSA 

Introducing Foundry Works!

This week, in celebration of national Mental Health Week, the BC Government and Future Skills Centre & CAMH announced their support of Foundry Works! This new supported program will provide flexible, wrap-around services to help youth who are currently not in education, employment or training to succeed in school, find a job and meet their own personal goals. At Foundry, we believe all young people should have access to meaningful education and employment opportunities. Through this program, Foundry will support young people by coordinating and aligning their health, wellness and education/employment goals.

Beginning this summer, Foundry Works! will be available in the following Foundry centres: Abbotsford, Kelowna, North Shore, Prince George, Ridge Meadows, Terrace, Vancouver-Granville, Victoria, Richmond, Campbell River and Penticton. In addition, young people will be able to access Foundry Works! virtually through the Foundry BC app.

Watch foundrybc.ca for updates regarding this exciting new program.

Victoria joins the Foundry network

We are excited to announce Victoria has joined the Foundry network! Victoria will soon be home to a Foundry centre, providing young people with integrated health and social services including primary care, mental health services, substance use supports, social services and peer support.

Located at 818 Douglas Street, Foundry Victoria builds on the Victoria Youth Clinic’s long-standing history in providing health services to the region, and the Children’s Health Foundation of Vancouver Island’s support of a new facility to support youth mental health (which began construction in June). As a Foundry centre, this facility will now be a one-stop shop, expanding the services currently offered by the Victoria Youth Clinic, NEED2 Suicide Prevention Education & Support, Island Health and other community partners to transform the way primary healthcare and mental health and substance use services are provided to the city’s youth.

The Victoria Youth Clinic team, which includes counseling support from the Ministry of Child and Family Development and Island Health’s Discovery Youth and Family Services, and NEED2 are now operating out of the new space. Island Health’s Early Psychosis Intervention teams will be moving in later this fall and further services and supports will be phased in as the centre develops to reflect the Foundry model.

Read the full news release here.