Meeting the needs of children with the 5-Step Method

The stress-strain-coping-support model of how adult family members are affected by a relative's substance misuse is equally relevant to children who live with parental or familial substance misuse. To date, the main beneficiaries of the 5-Step Method have been adult family members, yet children can benefit from familial intervention generally and the 5-Step Method specifically. This article will consider the implications of the 5-Step Method for children in two ways. First, there will be a summary, based on the analysis of qualitative data from 5-Step research studies, of how the method can benefit children following delivery with an adult family member. Second, there will be a discussion of how the 5-Step Method can be extended so that children might benefit further from this intervention. The opportunities which this extension could bring, as well as implications for practice and research, will be discussed. The focus of this article will be the UK, but international research as well as the potential for the wider reach of the 5-Step Method to children across the world, will be discussed.