Family, Friends and Concerned Others
Family, Friends and Concerned Others
We support adults, children, and young people, including work within primary school settings and community events to raise awareness of the support available. Referrals are welcome via self-referral, internal referrals from other CAVDAS services, or from external agencies such as social services and mental health teams.
Our support is person-centred and flexible. This might be a one-off phone call to answer questions like “Am I saying the right things?” or “Where can I get help?”, or more structured one-to-one sessions over time. Where ongoing support is needed, our staff use a range of evidence-based approaches including CRAFT, SMART principles, motivational interviewing, mediation techniques, CBT, and harm reduction around substance use. Group support and peer connections are also available.
Our aim is that people leave feeling supported, better informed about substance use, confident in what they can and can’t do to help, motivated to make positive changes in their own lives, and with improved self-esteem and wellbeing.
The Family & Concerned Others Drop In is a calm, confidential space for anyone affected by someone else’s alcohol or substance use; whether that’s a parent, partner, family member, friend, or someone you live with. People are welcome to come as they are and talk with others who may be experiencing similar situations. Our staff offer understanding, non‑judgemental support, helping you explore what feels right for you at your own pace. Whether you’re looking for guidance, reassurance, or simply a safe place to talk things through, the drop in is here to help you feel heard, supported, and less alone.
Drop in at CAVDAS, 7 St Andrews Place, Cardiff, CF10 3BE
Between 10AM and 12PM
Or CAVDAS, 2-10Holton Road, Barry, CF63 4HD
Between 12:45PM and 2:30PM
Family & Concerned Others Guide
We also offer the FCO Guide, a written resource for anyone affected by someone else’s substance use. It’s available as part of our work with CAVDAS or as a free download from our website. The guide explains our approach; focusing on reducing enabling behaviours and improving wellbeing, rather than persuading the person using substances into treatment, and can also be shared with the person using substances to help explain changes in boundaries or behaviour.
Twinkle Twinkle Arti
The Family & Concerned Others team within CAVDAS have collaborated with Danielle Slade and Dr Cassey Muir, coproducers of children’s book ‘Twinkle, Twinkle Arti’, with the aim of using storytelling to help children speak about parental alcohol or drug use, as we understand it can be difficult for young people to share their feelings.
The book is beautifully illustrated by Josie Brooks, and includes input from family members with lived experience, practice partners and a research team at the School for Public Health Research (SPHR), the project being funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR).
The aim of the book is to identify the impact upon the child, steps can then be taken to develop coping strategies whilst offering a safe space to talk, supporting children and ensuring they are not alone.
If you would like to see Arti within your educational setting or you know young people who may benefit from hearing the story, please contact CAVDAS for more information. ‘
Join Arti on her journey of bravery, self-discovery and learning about the importance of talking about your feelings.’