What is Family Inclusive Practice? (Part 1/5)What is Family Inclusive Practice? (Part 1/5)
Life with Alcohol and Drugs
Robbie Coffey and Daryl McLeister break down what family inclusive practice means in alcohol and drug services, using real policy examples and frontline experience. The conversation outlines a clear definition, highlights gaps between policy and practice, and stresses the importance of warmth, respect and proper support for families.
9:54•7 May 2026
Putting Families at the Heart of Alcohol and Drug Support
Episode Overview
- Family inclusive practice is a collaborative approach where professionals involve the person’s family and social network, look for hidden family needs, and ensure those family members are supported.
- Scottish policy has, for over a decade, stated that families should be a core part of alcohol and drug treatment, but there is still a significant gap between policy and practice.
- Families often report being met with cold, defensive attitudes and being dismissed or stereotyped rather than treated as valuable partners in care.
- Simple changes such as warm welcomes, neutral language, and clear recognition of families as unpaid carers can make services more accessible and respectful.
- Practitioners are encouraged to see families as part of their core role, actively asking about who could be involved and how everyone in the family can be supported.
“"Families are part of my job. They're not an extra. They're not an add-on. They're someone that I should be welcoming into my service."”
What can we learn from those who have battled addiction? This conversation focuses on the people so often in the background: families and loved ones. The episode brings together host Robbie Coffey and guest Daryl McLeister, Family Inclusive Practice Development Officer at Scottish Families Affected by Alcohol and Drugs. Across a relaxed, chatty half hour, they break down what "family inclusive practice" actually means, especially for workers in alcohol and drug services and for the families who feel shut out.
Daryl draws on years of experience in family support, recovery work and psychology, along with his own lived experience, to explain the policy journey in Scotland. He talks through how documents like the Quality Principles and whole-family frameworks have, for over a decade, said families should be central to care. Yet, as he puts it, there’s still an "implementation gap" where practice hasn’t caught up with what’s written on paper.
The heart of the episode lies in a clear, practical definition. Family inclusive practice is described as a collaborative approach where professionals 1) actively involve the person’s family and social network, 2) look out for the needs of the whole family, including those "hidden and behind the scenes", and 3) make sure those family members are supported in their own right.
Daryl also talks honestly about what families actually experience: being met with "coldness", being seen as "busy bodies", or dismissed as a "wee worried mammy" instead of recognised as unpaid carers under enormous stress. He argues for a simple but powerful shift: warm welcomes, neutral language, and the assumption that families are part of the job, not an awkward extra.
If you work in services, care about someone’s alcohol or drug use, or just want a clearer picture of what better support can look like, this first part of the series offers a grounded starting point and some gentle challenges to reflect on how families are treated.
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