A whole family, multi-family, structured brief intervention, which puts children first.
M-PACT brings together a small number of families who work together over 10 sessions. The M-PACT programme is delivered under licence by facilitators who are trained by experts from Action on Addiction. The training is accredited by the University of Bath.
The first M-PACT programme was delivered in 2006. By the end of 2018, 446 practitioners had been trained. M-PACT programmes have been delivered to over 2,500 individual participants representing 700 families in around 50 locations across the UK, including at community, prison and school-based sites.
Many of the families who have participated in M-PACT have been living with substance use problems for many years. In addition to suffering the effects of addiction, many of the families had also experienced other difficulties such as offending, violence, abuse and/or mental health difficulties. It is therefore noteworthy that this relatively brief intervention is able to produce significantly positive changes for many families, even those with multiple and complex needs.
The completion rate for M-PACT is 80%.
“Having worked with prisoners and rehabilitation for the last twenty years, in which time I have facilitated and managed a wide variety of HM Prison Service accredited offending behaviour programmes...I can say with confidence that in my experience the M-PACT intervention is one of the best I have ever seen.”
Corin Morgan-Armstrong, Head of Family Interventions, HMP & YOI Parc, Wales
”In 2015, the Alcohol Forum became the first and only provider of M-PACT in Ireland, where one in six carers (16%) have reported that children for whom they have parental responsibility have experienced harm because of someone else’s drinking. Our M-PACT offering continues to grow, making a significant difference to the lives of the family members it supports."
Kieran Doherty, Chief Executive Officer, The Alcohol Forum, Ireland
“M-PACT has enabled us to develop a bridge between children and adult services by providing direct evidence based interventions with each member of the family. The difference this has made to the lives of families accessing our service has been immense.”
James Mawhinney, Social Work Team Leader and Safeguarding Lead, CGL (change, grow, live)
Organisations wishing to run an M-PACT programme must purchase a licence from Action on Addiction.
In order to become a licence holder organisations must ensure at least two members of staff have successfully completed Action on Addiction’s M-PACT practitioner training. The accredited practitioner training can be delivered in different formats to suit organisational need. The University of Bath awards six credits to practitioners who have successfully completed the training and an assignment.
Licence holders receive ongoing support from Action on Addiction through an online hub. The hub also provides useful resources and materials for programme delivery together with information about the ongoing independent evaluation requirements, testimonials and anonymised example case studies.
Evaluation shows that this relatively brief intervention is able to produce significantly positive changes for many families, even those with multiple and complex needs.
Family members attending M-PACT programmes reported multiple improvements in diverse areas of family functioning.
For every £1 spent, M-PACT can save up to £6.53
Action on Addiction regularly holds training events for practitioners employed by licensed organisations.