Supporting Someone: Your Experience with Substance Use Services in Falkirk
Falkirk ADP is carrying out Personal Experience Insights with families for the Medication-Assisted Treatment (MAT) Standards to ensure that the voices of families affected by substance use are heard and considered in service development.
The Medication-Assisted Treatment (MAT) Standards are guidelines that ensure people receiving treatment for drug use get the right support, at the right time, in a way that works for them.
Key Reasons:
- Understanding Family Impact – Families play a crucial role in supporting individuals in treatment, and their experiences provide valuable insights into service effectiveness.
- Identifying Barriers – Gathering data helps highlight challenges families face in accessing support, understanding treatment options, and engaging with services.
- Improving Support Services – By listening to families, Falkirk ADP can refine services to be more inclusive, accessible, and responsive to their needs.
- Enhancing Engagement – Ensuring that families feel heard fosters better relationships between services and the wider community.
- Aligning with MAT Standards – The national MAT Standards emphasise a person-centred approach, and family involvement is key to holistic recovery and harm reduction.
This data will be used to inform service improvements, ensuring that treatment and recovery pathways are both effective and family-inclusive.
Phases
Analysing Insights and Shaping Improvements
Building on the lived experiences gathered in Phase 1, this phase focuses on analysing the feedback to identify key themes, challenges, and areas for improvement within MAT services in Falkirk.
These experiences will be shared with Public Health Scotland, as an ongoing process, to ensure that the voices of individuals and families directly inform decision-making. The goal is to develop actionable recommendations that enhance accessibility, quality, and person-centred care within services in Falkirk.
Listening to Lived Experience – Survey Findings
What Families, Friends and Supporters Told Us About Substance Use Services in Falkirk
About This Report
We asked people about their experiences of supporting someone affected by alcohol or drug use.
Twelve people shared their views. Some were family members, friends or carers. One person also shared their experience as someone using services themselves.
People spoke about what worked well, what could be improved, and what would have helped them feel more supported.
This report focuses on the main themes that came through in the feedback.
What We Heard
People's experiences were mixed.
Some people described caring, supportive services and positive relationships with staff.
Others found it difficult to get help, access information, or feel involved in the support being provided.
Across all responses, people wanted services that are:
- Compassionate
- Easy to understand
- Well connected
- Inclusive of families and carers
- Focused on the whole person
What Is Working Well
Many people shared positive experiences.
They spoke about staff who:
- Took time to listen.
- Treated people with respect.
- Helped people feel welcome.
- Offered encouragement and support.
- Created a safe space to talk openly.
Some people described good communication with services and felt included in discussions about support and recovery.
Several respondents also highlighted the value of support from organisations such as Scottish Families Affected by Alcohol and Drugs (SFAD), recovery services, advocacy services and carers organisations. These supports helped people feel listened to and less alone.
Families and Carers Want to Be Part of the Conversation
One of the strongest messages from the survey was the importance of involving families, carers and trusted supporters.
Many people felt they had important knowledge about the person they support and could help services understand what was happening in their daily life.
People said they would benefit from:
- Being included where consent is in place.
- Having opportunities to share concerns.
- Receiving clear information about support plans.
- Understanding how they can best help.
Many respondents felt that recovery works best when people are supported by both services and the people who care about them.
Communication Matters
Communication was one of the most common themes.
Several respondents said it was sometimes difficult to understand:
- What support was available.
- How different services worked together.
- Who to contact when concerns arose.
- What was happening after appointments or referrals.
People told us that clear and consistent communication helps them feel informed, confident and able to provide support.
Many respondents felt that regular updates, where appropriate and agreed, could help families feel more involved and better able to support recovery.
The Importance of a Named Person
Many respondents felt that having the option to choose a trusted person could be helpful.
People suggested that, where consent is given, a named person could:
- Improve communication.
- Help families understand treatment plans.
- Support attendance and engagement.
- Provide continuity during difficult times.
Respondents felt this could reduce confusion and strengthen support around the individual.
Looking at the Whole Person
Many people spoke about the connection between substance use, mental health and life experiences.
Respondents felt support should look at the whole person rather than focusing on a single issue.
People highlighted the importance of considering:
- Mental health.
- Physical health.
- Neurodiversity and learning needs.
- Past experiences.
- Family and social relationships.
- Day-to-day wellbeing.
Many respondents wanted services to work together more closely so that people receive joined-up support.
Mental Health Support
Mental health was an important theme throughout the responses.
Some people felt mental health support was helping.
Others felt additional support was needed, particularly where people had complex needs or where mental health and substance use were affecting one another.
Respondents spoke about the importance of having access to support that understands the full picture of a person's life and experiences.
Feeling Safe, Heard and Respected
People consistently described the importance of feeling heard.
Positive experiences were often linked to workers who:
- Listened carefully.
- Took concerns seriously.
- Showed understanding.
- Worked alongside individuals and families.
- Built trusting relationships.
Respondents told us that feeling respected can make it easier to ask for help, stay engaged with services and build confidence in support.
Supporting Families and Carers
Many responses highlighted that substance use can affect the wider family as well as the individual.
People described the value of support for families, including:
- Information and advice.
- Emotional support.
- Peer support.
- Advocacy.
- Help to understand services and treatment options.
Respondents felt that families and carers should be recognised as people who may need support in their own right.
What People Would Like to See Next
Based on the feedback received, several priorities emerged:
1. Improve family and carer involvement
Where consent is in place, people would like greater involvement in discussions, planning and support.
2. Improve communication
People want clearer information, easier contact with services and better communication between organisations.
3. Strengthen joined-up support
Respondents would like addiction services, mental health services, healthcare providers and community organisations to work more closely together.
4. Increase support for families and carers
People want families and carers to have better access to information, advice and emotional support.
5. Continue developing trauma-informed approaches
Respondents want services to recognise the impact that difficult life experiences can have on health, wellbeing and recovery.
6. Consider wider use of trusted or named person approaches
Many people felt this could improve communication and strengthen support networks.
Key Message
The clearest message from the feedback is that relationships matter.
People value services that are kind, respectful and easy to access.
They want individuals, families, carers and professionals to work together in ways that build trust, improve communication and support recovery.
The responses show that people feel most supported when they are listened to, included and treated with dignity.
About the Findings
This report is based on 12 survey responses. The findings reflect the experiences of the people who took part and should be seen as themes within this group rather than the experiences of everyone who uses substance use services in Falkirk.