Ersta Vändpunkten
Ersta Vändpunkten offers group activities for children, adolescents and adults who have lived in close contact with substance abuse. Many people who live in or have grown up in a family with risk or addiction have become used to that the addict’s problems and feelings has always been at the center. Vändpunkten started in 1986 and has since it’s inception instead operated on the basis that the focus of their work is to provide support to the relatives.
With support from H.M. Queen Silvia’s Foundation CATCH, this project aims to detect the children and families who are in need of help and support as early as possible. During the project time, action plans and routines for this were developed, a children’s representative was appointed in each district and collaboration between pre-school and social services were improved and expanded to make it easier for preschools to submit reports of concern. The project also contributed to strengthening the collaboration between pre-schools and the social services’ abuse and child and youth unit.
Group activities are one of Vändpunkten’s main activities, as such activities are educational and also have a therapeutic purpose. Participating in a program means that the participant acquires knowledge about addiction and substance abuse, how the substance abuse affects the relationships within the family and finally, how to change their situation. As a participant in the group activities, you get to meet others who live in families with substance abuse and get the opportunity to share experiences with them.
The operation has expanded significantly since the beginning of the 2010s and Ersta Vändpunkten continues to work actively to help more children, adolescents and families affected by addiction and substance abuse. They also see an increased demand for Ersta Vändpunkten’s efforts. The number of children and families who get in touch with Ersta Vändpunkten though the social services has also increased.