Parenting our Children,
and Accessing Recovery.
POCAR is an intensive, 16-week programme for parents who have problems with drugs and/or alcohol whose child/ren are open to Social Services.
What is POCAR?
POCAR stands for Parenting Our Children and Accessing Recovery. It is an intensive, 16-week programme for parents who have problems with drugs and/or alcohol whose child/ren are open to Social Services. Parents are referred to POCAR by their child’s Social Worker.
POCAR is a structured programme based on effective interventions for drug and alcohol use with additional elements focused on parenting and safeguarding.
The programme is delivered via a combination of weekly groups and 1-1 keyworks with a named Care Co-Ordinator. Updates are provided to the Social Worker upon request and a report will be written following completion from the programme.
The programme has two strands: one for men and one for women. Groups are gender-specific, so women will attend groups which are women-only and men will attend groups only open to men.
Please note, Men’s POCAR group is not currently running, but fathers will have access to keywork so can still be referred to the programme.
Background
Oasis Project was established in 1997 and gives hope to women, children and families affected by drugs & alcohol. Oasis takes a child and family centered approach to addressing substance misuse problems and POCAR has been part of the service offer for more than 11 years.
POCAR was originally developed in partnership with Children’s Services and NHS providers to address concerns raised in Hidden Harm (2003). The programme was independently evaluated in 2015 by New Economics Foundation using outcome data from Children and Family records.
The evaluation found that
* The POCAR Programme helps reduce the number of cases with Child Protection Plans by 53% by 3 months after clients have finished the programme and by 85% by12 months after clients have finished the programme.
* The POCAR programme supports significant numbers of parents towards caring for their own children safely and averts the need for them to become looked after by the Local Authority.
* Changes arising from the POCAR progamme occur swiftly, with the majority of transitions in social care status taking place within 3 months of completing the programme
POCAR Aims
POCAR aims to break the cycles of deprivation; enabling parents to recover from substance misuse, rebuild their families and bring their children up safely.
The overall aims of POCAR are to:
* Support parents to address drug and alcohol difficulties to achieve their parenting goals
* Increase parents’ self-esteem and confidence
* Reduce isolation and build resilience
* Enhance safety and stability for children
Making a Referral to POCAR
Parents are referred onto the POCAR programme via Social Services if the professional working with a family believes that the child(ren) may be at risk due to their parent’s substance misuse.
Referrals are completed using our online form.
The referral will then be allocated for assessment by our Assessment team and the client will be contacted within two weeks with an assessment date.
What happens during POCAR?
POCAR is a rolling 16-week programme which includes:
* Regular 1-1 keywork with the allocated POCAR Care Co-Ordinator. This is reviewed regularly and the plan for keyworks is built around each individual and their needs. Keywork appointments will take place either face-to-face or over the phone as agreed.
* 2 Facilitated groups per week delivered face-to-face (at 11 Richmond Place). Groups are 1.5 hours in duration and run as follows:
— Monday, 10.30am – 12 midday
— Wednesday, 10.30am – 12 midday
* Access to our free Creche for babies and children 0-5 years to support parents to attend sessions
Get in touch
or make a referral.
We’ve been doing this for over 20 years, so we really know what works. We see everyone as an individual, and make sure we can get them the right help at the right time.