Substance abuse in the family is known to have a risk of being passed from generation to generation if not intervened timely. Pregnant women who are substance abusive endanger not only their own lives but also those of their newborns, who suffer the risks of infant death and multiple developmental problems.

We believe that a new life denotes hope. It is thus a golden opportunity for the mothers-to-be to re-evaluate their life goals and to re-organize their life. We also regard this to be a booster for substance-abusive women to make up their mind to adapt a healthy lifestyle and become a responsible mother. Hence, we have specially designed the project "Breaking the Cycle of Abuse" with an aim to improve the health and welfare of the substance-abusive pregnant women and their newborns through early engagement and multi-disciplinary collaboration. This 2-year project is funded by the Community Chest and will be launched in September 2004.

Our services begin with early identification of potential service users. This is done through networking with rehab-professionals including social workers of drug treatment agencies and outreaching social work teams, gynecologists and obstetricians and alike. Through antenatal check and Reality Check Programs on the possible consequences of drug use, we intend to motivate the substance-abusive pregnant women to change for the sake of themselves and their babies. Intensive services including detoxification and relapse prevention programs, pre-and post-natal care programs as well as individual and/or group guidance will be provided.

Services for the newborns include periodic assessment in the first 3 months after birth to check for signs of delayed development and referrals to the Early Education Training Centre Service for long-term care and skills training/coaching for parents. Support from Emergency Foster Care Service and other community services will also be solicited whenever necessary.

In order to provide a comprehensive and one-stop service, a multi-disciplinary team comprising of social worker, registered nurse and special childcare worker will be formed. Services will be coordinated and packaged in an outreaching approach attending to the special needs of the substance-abusive mothers and their children throughout the processes of pregnancy and childbirth. Throughout the project, we will organize workshops and seminars for professionals to share on the service model and experiences in working with these clients.