Evidence-based family skills training programmes have been found to be the most effective way to prevent substance use among children and adolescents after nurse home-visitation programmes. These programmes target the whole family and offer skills-building for parents on monitoring and supervision of children's activities, communication and setting age-appropriate limits.
Children learn personal, social and communication skills, and at the end of each session, families come together to practice new skills as a family unit. These programmes improve family functioning, organization, communication and interpersonal relationships and have been found to have multiple positive outcomes for children and adolescents including decreased alcohol and drug use, increased child attachment to school and academic performance, decreased child depression and aggression, increased child social competence and pro-social behaviour and decreased family conflict. In addition, these programmes have been found to be cost-effective.
This poster gives an overview about family skills programmes and their benefits per se.
