The project aimed to improve the situation of families with addiction issues by enhancing the knowledge, skills and empathy of professionals working with this vulnerable group. To achieve this, the project developed a comprehensive curriculum as a foundation for training professionals in various disciplines who work with these families. Real-life experiences from affected families were integrated to ensure the curriculum aligned with their actual needs. The project also facilitated the exchange of best practices and lessons learned from implementing training programs. Another key objective was to make the curriculum accessible and adaptable for organizations training professionals in social work, healthcare, education, child protection, and related fields. Furthermore, the project explored diverse training formats, including online options, and provided practical recommendations for their implementation.
This project built on the previous EU-funded Make the Difference project (CERV programme), which aimed to strengthen cooperation between addiction support and youth welfare services with regard to child protection in families affected by addiction. A basic training concept for professionals was also developed as part of this previous project. However, this concept had some shortcomings: It did not sufficiently include the perspective of families affected by addiction, i.e. it lacked the lived experiences of those affected. The concept only provided a general framework and did not include detailed instructions and guidance for trainers; essential topics were missing or underdeveloped compared to the actual needs of professionals and families. Feedback from implementation was also not integrated, and finally, this training concept was primarily aimed at professionals in addiction and youth services, while professionals in healthcare, education and social work were still overlooked. To address these gaps, this project developed a comprehensive curriculum incorporating the perspectives of families affected by addiction. It also provided structured guidance for trainers and ensured the curriculum was adaptable across various professional fields to better support families.