Addiction in East Cumbria: CADAS’ Response
- Jul 7
- 3 min read
The Freemasons' Charity Guest Blog
This Alcohol Awareness Week, the Freemasons’ Charity is shining a spotlight on CADAS (Cumbria Addictions: Advice & Solutions) and the work it is doing to support families affected by addiction.
According to the NHS, 90% of a child's brain growth happens before the age of five, meaning those early years are the most formative period in a person's life. Parents and carers of young children who have a substance use problem can have chaotic, unpredictable lifestyles and may struggle to recognise and meet their children’s needs (NSPCC). This may result in young children being at risk of harm and their development being negatively affected.
CADAS’ work responds to this very problem and supports families – both the children affected and their parents – helping to keep families together and support children’s development.
The Freemasons’ Charity has awarded CADAS a grant of £60,000, on behalf of Cumberland and Westmorland Freemasons, which is helping to fund the Family Service in East Cumbria. This service works specifically with children under five who are at risk of neglect as a result of parental substance misuse, as well as women who may be pregnant and struggling with addiction.
Some of the key objectives of the CADAS Family Service include:
Families receive personalised one-to-one support
Parents build confidence and resilience in their parenting
Children develop confidence and emotional understanding
Families access wider support networks and services
Early support helps prevent challenges escalating into crisis
“Through the use of specific tools and programmes, we help to improve family relationships, improve mental health and foster a closer focus upon emotional wellbeing for families. All of this helps to boost self-esteem, mood and confidence in their own abilities as parents. Families become happier and calmer, with a reduction in their harmful habits, less harsh discipline methods are used, and more positive time is spent together as a family.” – Angie, Family Service Team Leader
Over the course of the project, CADAS will support 32 families per year, working with around 72 children under five over three years.
Early Years: a priority
Anyone familiar with the Freemasons’ Charity knows that it is committed to funding projects that help young children in difficult situations to have the best start in life, supporting its Charity Grants priority: Early Years (ages 0-5), with a focus on poverty and neglect. From April to December last year, the Freemasons’ Charity awarded grants, on behalf of Cumberland and Westmorland Freemasons, totalling £1,288,612 to 40 charities working in line with this priority.
All applications for the Freemasons’ Charity’s charitable grants are reviewed and assessed by a decision panel, which sees hundreds of applications each year. When CADAS applied for funding, the panel was particularly interested in its work and the problem it is addressing.
“This is an angle of Early Years that we have not seen yet, and their application clearly emphasised how addiction can mean children are at risk of, or experiencing, neglect, making it a clear fit with our programme. Their application also demonstrated how they are targeting the families most in need, concentrating this work in the most deprived areas of East Cumbria, evidencing the state of poverty in the areas they will be working in.” – the Freemasons’ Charity Grant Assessors
This funding from the Freemasons’ Charity is only possible thanks to the generosity of Freemasons and their families across England and Wales.
Learn more and get support
Did you read the April blog post? Louise, the Family Team Leader on the East Family Service at CADAS, spoke to the Freemasons’ Charity about her work and the link between stress and addiction.
CADAS’ support services stretch across the whole of Cumbria and the Family Service, funded by the Freemasons’ Charity, is delivered specifically in East Cumbria. For more information, read about the services CADAS offers.
If you feel you need support, contact CADAS:
Helpline: 0800 254 5658 (available weekdays 9am-5pm)
Email: contact@cadas.co.uk
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