{"id":3296,"date":"2022-07-06T16:12:47","date_gmt":"2022-07-06T06:12:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.dalgarnoinstitute.org.au\/wp_site\/aod-use-and-the-kincare-crisis\/"},"modified":"2022-07-06T16:12:47","modified_gmt":"2022-07-06T06:12:47","slug":"aod-use-and-the-kincare-crisis","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.dalgarnoinstitute.org.au\/wp_site\/aod-use-and-the-kincare-crisis\/","title":{"rendered":"AOD Use and the Kincare Crisis"},"content":{"rendered":"

Alcohol & Other Drug Use and the Kincare Crisis<\/strong><\/p>\n

This latest concerning report (excerpts below) from yet another inquiry\/report\/audit into children under care, was at pains to ensure the scope and parameters of this document that only a \u2018harm management\u2019 process review was conducted. The sources\/origins of harm that facilitate the need for Out Of Home Care (OOHC) were precluded from the Audit.<\/p>\n

Now, to be fair on this process, it was about attempting to address the concerns of those who are OOHC including \u2018Kin Carers\u2019 and how the current \u2018system\u2019 does or does not support them in their attempt to care for children not their own, and who are in serious harm\u2019s way.<\/p>\n

However, this continuing avoidance of identifying and addressing the source of these initial abuses and neglects that parents of these hapless children place them in has the scent of, yet another drug use scrutiny cover up \u2013 or if that sounds austere \u2013 at the very least it is carefully curated obfuscation.<\/p>\n

At this year\u2019s Australia & New Zealand Addiction Conference, held on the Gold Coast, addiction and recovery clinicians, educators and activists gathered to share their perspectives and experience. One lengthy panel<\/em> session conducted by Odyssey House was not only matter of fact, but quite revealing around substance use and familial\/domestic dysfunction.<\/p>\n

In the presentation titled, Family violence Informed AOD Practice \u2013 The Journey So Far<\/em>, the presenter made the following statement.<\/p>\n

\u201cAOD and Family violence intersection \u2013 Every Drug Rehabilitation program must see drug use as Family Violence \u2013 These go together.\u201d<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

One can draw a number of reasonable conclusions from this statement \u2013 and yes, whilst not every drug using parent is neglectful and abusive enough to come onto the radar of child services, the spectrum of neglect, dysfunction, abuse and care-lessness is always contributed to by drug use \u2013 whether licit or illicit.<\/p>\n

The Audit discusses the imperative of finding \u2018Stable Homes\u2019. But again \u2013 to labour the so easily now dismissed point \u2013 substance use does not make<\/em> for a stable home in which to raise healthy and psychologically sound children. However, besides one criterion for having a stable home being the absence of substance using carers, what other criteria does one use to determine \u2018stability\u2019? Who says? With every personal Mood, Urge Symptom and Taste requiring a \u2018seat at the credibility table\u2019, what passes for best practice?<\/p>\n

With the elevation of personal opinion and personal culture to the level of \u2018best-practice\u2019, simply by wielding such passionately, only muddies the waters of investigation into safe, caring, nurturing, healthy and resiliency building environments.<\/p>\n