Link it – Network for children from families affected by addiction

The starting point for our model project is the precarious situation of children from families affected by addiction. Due to the illness of their parents, the needs of the young people are often neglected, which in turn puts their own healthy development at serious risk.

Possible consequences include:

• Physical damage resulting from prenatal consumption, e.g., FASD or NAS
• Psychological problems include severe insecurity, suppression of one's own needs, depression…

Furthermore, other difficult life circumstances often play a role in families affected by addiction. Addiction is frequently accompanied by social exclusion, a higher rate of unemployment, or low socioeconomic conditions.

Link it – Network for Children from Families Affected by Addiction is a project of Therapiehilfe Bremen gGmbH and was initially funded for one year by the Senator for Health, Women and Consumer Protection. It is initially being implemented as a pilot project in Bremen's western districts and is intended to be expanded to the whole of Bremen in the future.

Goals | Offers

contact
point for professionals from various professions dealing with the topic of children from families affected by addiction, bringing them into contact and networking them so that the existing services can work together more effectively.

The aim is to ensure that the various stakeholders enrich and support each other's work, thereby enabling them to provide children with effective and individually tailored support at an early stage. The foundation of this work is the protection of the child's welfare.

Furthermore, we can be contact persons for institutions and people who work with and come into contact with children, such as employees in daycare centers, schools and leisure facilities.

Information and training:
This section aims to raise awareness and provide information about children from families affected by addiction. Training courses are offered on topics such as:

• How can I recognize a child with a family history of addiction?
• How do I approach a child if I have a suspicion?
• How do I approach the parents, how do I address the topic?

Network meetings
: To bring together the stakeholders involved, regular network meetings will be organized where cooperation partners can get to know each other and exchange information. Anonymous case discussions will also be available for those interested in discussing individual cases.

>> Next date and further information

Anyone interested in participating can join the network.
As a network partner, you will receive regular updates on the topic of children from families affected by addiction and be invited to network meetings at least four times a year to exchange ideas and take advantage of multi-professional case discussions.

If you are interested, please feel free to contact us without obligation.

Public Relations:
Another goal is to raise public awareness about children from families affected by addiction and addiction in general. When society perceives parental addiction as an illness, it makes it easier for people to seek and accept support services.

Contact persons for children and group offers
In a later stage, it is planned to also be contact persons for children, to inform them about the support services and opportunities in Bremen and to make it easier for them to access the appropriate support.

In the long term, group activities are also planned for children from families affected by addiction, in which they can share their experiences and create new, enjoyable experiences together.

Contact persons:

Ina Kuhn
, certified social worker/social pedagogue,
Telephone: 01573 5733455

Saskia Tarillion,
student in a dual study program in Social Work,
Phone: 01573-9134626

Next appointment:

Wednesday, September 8, 2021, 2 pm to 4 pm
 

Meeting frequency:
4 times per year

Participation requirements:
Anyone who is interested in participating can join the network.

Working level
Bremen West, see description