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SOUTH YORKSHIRE PARENTS AND DRUGS SUPPORT DRUGS HELPLINE Telephone Number 01709 371222 or 01302 343757 TEXT ONLY VERSION What is the South Yorkshire Drugs Helpline? |
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What is the South Yorkshire Drugs Helpline?................. Back to Top The South Yorkshire Drugs Helpline started in 1998 and provides information and support to anyone whose life is affected by a loved one's drug or alchohol abuse. We offer a confidential service given with respect and understanding of the many difficulties people face when caring for a drug misuser. |
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Who can we Help?................. Back to Top We can help anyone who is concerned about another's drug use. |
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Who will answer my Call?................. Back to Top Calls are answered by a team of fully trained volunteers, recruited for their ability to listen and offer support to people on the telephone. Volunteers come from a wide variety of backgrounds. |
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Confidentiality.................. Back to Top Helpline staff follow policies and guidelines covering such topics as confidentiality. This means: Information about you will not be disclosed to a third party without your consent. We will not leave a message with a third party, or an ansaphone, without your prior consent. We will not send information to a third party. Any information which is kept about calls is recorded without the use of names or contact details. We do not use caller display equipment on the helpline and the withhold code 141 is used when making or returning calls. The helpline is a member of the Telephone Helpline Association, which promotes good practice amongst helpline providers. |
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Examples of People we've Helped.................. Back to Top Ann rang us because she did not know what to do for the best. Her son had been taking heroin on and off for five years. He was at present living in sheltered accomodation but very much wanted to come home. He had promised to give up heroin if she gave him one more chance. Her husband and son were against the idea. He had stolen from them in the past and they had threatened to leave if he returned. She was torn between supporting her son and the consequences of having him back home. We were able to explore with Anne, her options and how, she could still give her son the support he needed if she did not decide to have him back. Sarah rang us because she had just found out her sister was using amphetamines. "I don't know anything about drugs and I am frightened she is risking her health. She is acting very strangely and we argue all the time. She is very aggresive and stays awake all night. could this be causing the changes in behaviour?" Sarah needed support for herself, some basic drug information and help to think through how she could support her sister. Joan contacted us because she was worried about the effect her daughters drug use was having on her grandchildren. Her daughter had started shoplifting to fund her heroin habit and the children were now aware of this. She had confronted her daughter who at first denied it but then broke down in tears and admitted everything. "She says she wants to come off drugs but is frightened to seek help because if anyone found out she was using drugs her children would be taken from her. I don't know what to do. I don't want her to lose the children either; she's a good mum really". We were able to reassure her that agencies recognise that substance misuse alone does not necessarily mean they are bad parents or that their children are automatically considered 'at risk'. She was very relieved to hear this and di manage to persuade her daughter to seek treatment and support. |
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How to contact us.................. Back to Top You can contact us by phoning on the numbers shown or: We are open: Monday, Wednesday, Friday - 9.30am - 3.30pm Monday - Friday - 6.30pm - 8.30pm Saturday - 10.00am - 12.00 noon A 24 hour answering machine is in operation at other times. You can also write to us at: SYPADS, c/o People United, 4th Floor, Castle Market Buildings, Exchange Street, Sheffield, S1 2AH - Tel: 0114 2767954 |
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Online Request Form.................. Back to Top |
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Background to SYPADS.................. Back to Top Parents and Carers whose lives are affected by a relative's drug misuse often feel isolated and are faced with heavy emotional demands. They experience enormous levels of despair caused by worries about ill health and the potentially life threatening situation of a loved one. There is also a high level of disruption to the whole family caused by the addictive behaviour, which often includes stealing from their own families and harassment for money. South Yorkshire Parents and Drug Support (SYPADS) is a South Yorkshire wide initiative which was developed bythe four Drug Action Teams in Barnsley, Doncaster, Rotherham and Sheffield, and influenced by existing support groups. The project has been developed with the active support of the four DAT co-ordinators, all of whom sit on the SYPADS Steering Committee. The project aims at developing support services for parents and carers whose lives are affected by drug misuse, focus on providing support and information to both new and existing groups across South Yorkshire. Part of the project was to research the need for and the feasibility of establishing a South Yorkshire Helpline for relatives and carers of drug misusers. The project started in January 1997 and was initially funded for a period of seven months. Funding for the scheme came from Government Drug Challenge Funds together with sponsorship from BT. Phase one culminated in a very successful conference, with over two hundred people attending. It brought together relatives and carers of drug misusers, parents concerned about drug misuse in their communities and front line workers who support them. The need for the Helpline was identified by delegates at the conference. It was apparent also, from discussion with individual parents, carers and professional workers that there is a growing need for information and support for families and communities affected by substance misuse. It was clear that parents and carers would particularly welcome getting support from such a service, dedicated and focused specifically on their particular need. In addition, there was anecdotal evidence to suggest that national helplines were not meeting local needs and the proposal of a South Yorkshire Helpline was met with enthusiasm from many parents and professional workers. A feasibility study of establishing a South Yorkshire Drugs Helpline was carried out in August 1997. The project was successful in obtaining funds from Drug Challenge, BT and CIP to develop a project and to build on the first phase, to include establishing a South Yorkshire helpline. Current funding for the scheme comes from Health Action Zone (HAZ). The Helpline opened in March 1998 and provides information and support to people whose lives are affected by somebody else's drug use. It provides a dedicated service to: concerned parents and other family members who want to know more about drugs and parents who are worried because they suspect their son/daughter is involved with substance misuse. The vast majority of our calls however, are from families who are in severe crisis because their son or daughter is heavily dependant on drugs. The Helpline is staffed by trained volunteers, many of whom are parents of drug users themselves and are able to provide callers with support and understanding. They hold a full directory or drug related projects, including family support groups across South Yorkshire. Volunteers are able to point the parent and the drug user in the right direction as well as sending out drug information booklets and leaflets of other drug agencies. The Helpline gives callers access to individual help. The helpline bases are split between four sites in Rotherham, Sheffield, Barnsley and Doncaster. As Rotherham is central to South Yorkshire, most areas in the region can make calls to Rotherham at the local rate, it was felt appropriate to give the Helpline a Rotherham number. Call divert facilities enables calls to be automatically transferred to each location. All diverted calls, apart from the initial contact to the Rotherham number are free to the call. The remainder of the call, the diverted part is billed to Rotherham. If the helpline is unstaffed and the answering machine service is operational, users have the opportunity to leave a message. Messages are returned immediately at the beginning of the next session. Telephone Number 01709 371222 or 01302 343757 .. Back to Top |