A national residential rehabilitation service designed to support women and their children through recovery has opened in Dundee - the second of its kind in Scotland.
Experts say that women with problematic drug use often avoided support services due to the fear of having their children taken into care. But at the Cowan Grove recovery house, developed in partnership with Hillcrest Homes, the children of women who are receiving support for drug or alcohol addiction can stay with their mothers during their treatment.
The facility, run by the Aberlour children’s charity, admitted its first residents in December. It can support four women from across Scotland and their children up to the age of five at any one time.
The facility was developed after the Scottish Government committed £5.5 million in funding over the parliamentary term, with a further house being set up in central Scotland. It is the second facility aimed at keeping families together during recovery: First Minister Nicola Sturgeon and drugs policy minister Angela Constance opened a national family rehab service in Saltcoats, North Ayrshire, in November.
Speaking in Dundee on Wednesday, Ms Constance said: “We know there is a strong link between women having children removed from their care and risk of drug-related death. Keeping mothers and their children together can enhance the effectiveness of treatment and lessen any harmful impact on children.
“That is why I am very pleased to officially open Cowan Grove, which further improves the provision of residential rehabilitation services. Supporting people into recovery is a key part of our national mission and our commitment to keep The Promise, which aims to give families the support they need to stay together.”
The number of Scots in drug rehab treatment is on the rise, three years after the Scottish Government declared a public health emergency around the country's horrific drug death rates. The rates, some of the highest per-head in the world, prompted a Record campaign urging the government to declare an emergency.
Since then, the number of people in residential rehabilitation for alcohol and drug addiction has increased to 218 between April and June in 2022, compared to 78 during the same period in 2021. Ministers hope the new centre in Dundee demonstrates how their approach to the drugs crisis is evolving to be more compassionate.
SallyAnn Kelly, Aberlour chief executive, said of the centre's opening: “Too many women with these issues were previously refusing to engage with support agencies for fear of their children being removed or taken into care.
"The house will help improve outcomes for these women and children, reduce deaths of mothers with problem drug use, avoid family breakdown and increase the likelihood of children being cared for by their parents.
“There has already been a very positive response to the new recovery house, with applications from all across Scotland, and we are grateful to the Scottish Government for funding this much- needed but wonderful new facility. We look forward to opening another in the next year in central Scotland.”
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