Project
First Steps Program
Principal Investigator(s): Denise Plesuk, Program Manager, FASD Program, Catholic Social Services, phone:(780) 477-1999, ext 3202 , email: denise.plesuk@catholicsocialservices.ab.ca
Start/End Date: December 1999 – present
Location: Edmonton, AB
Brief Description: The First Steps Program is an FASD prevention program, modeled on the Seattle PCAP model, and was among the first of its kind in Canada. Providing intensive long-term (three years) one-on-one mentoring program for women at high risk for giving birth to a baby exposed to prenatal alcohol.
The five mentors in First Steps help women who are not effectively connected to community resources to stabilize their life situation (clothing, shelter, food, prenatal and general health care, access to addictions treatment), to secure reliable birth control, to access community supports/services, establish individual goals and achieve success in those goals through secure trusting long term relationships with mentors, resolve complex issues that contribute to substance abuse (e.g., legal problems, homelessness, domestic violence), reduce use/abuse of alcohol/drugs, and helps to ensure their children are in a safe nurturing environment.
Catholic Social Services provides training, support and clinical supervision, collects and coordinates data collection/analysis and reporting. In addition First Steps participated (along with the Calgary and Lethbridge programs) in the first Canadian research study on ASI’s (Alcohol Severity Index) recently completed through the University of Calgary Social Work department.
Time Frame: ongoing
Kind of Project: Implementation
Population Served: Urban women pregnant or up to six months post-partum with addiction issues, who are not effectively connected to community resources.
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