PDF (Lessons learned in drug abuse prevention: a global review)

LOCAL
Community Psycho-Prophylactic Programme for
Children and Families
REGION:
Eastern Europe
COUNTRY: Poland
Organisation: The Powiśle
Foundation
TARGET GROUPS:
● High-risk children (6-12 years)
who display substantial
educational disruption and
who are surrounded by an
environment of crime and
drug addiction
● Families
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SETTINGS:
● Therapy centres
● Home
● Schools
IMPLEMENTING AGENTS:
● Social workers
● Psychotherapists
PROJECT PURPOSE:
To provide psychological and
social support to children and
their families who are at a
high risk of drug abuse in an
urban neighbourhood
COST: An annual average of
US$ 235,500
DURATION: 11 years and
ongoing
A drawing made by one of the children attending the Troubled Youth Centre.
Background:
In Poland, drug and alcohol abuse prevention programmes have mainly consisted of
universal prevention activities such as running educational classes in schools, or poster
campaigns. Throughout the country, there are small local programmes that aim at the
early prevention of drug abuse amongst high-risk groups, including families with members
who have an addiction problem. The project presented here is in line with the prevention
policies issued by the Drug Department of the Ministry of Health, and is contextualised
by a wider national effort to start preventative work with children and families that are
threatened with marginalisation, at an early stage. It is also in line with State guidelines
on educational and social care reform, which focus on delivering services at the local
level through small community institutions.
Political and economic changes weakening social bonds, and the reduction of the role
of the state in ensuring its citizens’ welfare, have affected the lives of many families in
Poland over the last decade. The opportunity for children and youth to take free classes
after school has drastically decreased and the level of unemployment has gone up.
Addictions amongst youth may stem from family breakdowns and the lack of family
care and discipline in their up-bringing, which together can lead to emotional problems
and personality disorders in children. The Community Psycho-Prophylactic
Programme is addressing children and families in need of psychosocial help in order to
function effectively as families.
In Warsaw, there has been a rise in the rate of addiction, especially amongst youth. The
programme is run in Powiśle, Warsaw, the urban area with the highest rates of unemployment,
crime and addiction. Approximately 50,000 people live in Powiśle, an area
characterised by enclaves of poverty alternating with new housing estates and modern
office buildings. People who are poor, unemployed and without education, making a
living out of theft, illicit trade and social benefits, live in many of the overcrowded
social flats in this area. Many of these are migrants from the countryside who moved
to Warsaw 20-30 years ago. The level of difficulty of everyday life often affects parents'
ability to pay adequate attention to the upbringing of their children. These children are
being left alone to grow up on the street, surrounded by other, similarly-troubled
children; they cope with this situation as well as they can. They often have severe
emotional problems and an extremely poor intellectual, cultural and social heritage,
and tend to avoid school. Before the implementation of the programme, Powiśle was
one of the most dangerous districts in the centre of Warsaw, with the largest number