Beyond addiction: The role of social workers in family healing and recovery
TL;DR
Recommendations include implementing Kaupapa Māori models, incorporating additional AOD knowledge into qualifying social work programmes, and developing partnerships between clinical and Iwi services to create better pathways to wraparound support.
Abstract
INTRODUCTION: Family inclusion in addiction support holds a vital role in recovery for both people affected by addiction and their families. In Aotearoa New Zealand, there is limited research focusing on the consequences for social workers. This study considers how social workers can support families during the recovery of a loved one with an addiction by considering how they are impacted by addiction and what interventions and approaches are used to fulfill individual and collective needs.
Methods
Using an interpretivist and qualitative approach, semi-structured interviews were conducted with four human services professionals in the alcohol and other drug (AOD) field in Aotearoa New Zealand. Thematic analysis highlighted how social workers can address family needs and enhance services.
Findings
Key themes were “the opposite of addiction is connection,” highlighting the isolation addiction causes and the importance of family connection; “system-wide barriers to whānau inclusion”, identifying barriers preventing family-inclusive practice; and “connection as cultural healing”, which acknowledges the relationship among connection and culture and the vital role these concepts have in recovery.
Conclusions
Recommendations include implementing Kaupapa Māori models, incorporating additional AOD knowledge into qualifying social work programmes, and developing partnerships between clinical and Iwi services to create better pathways to wraparound support. Social workers should address restrictive service criteria, develop support processes for those who do not meet them, and contribute to further research exploring the disproportionate harm Māori experience in relation to AOD harm.