Drug abuse appears to be the cause of many serious social, psychological, emotional, economic and relationship problems besetting the family and community where substance abusers belong. The DSWD has two programs that promote preventive and developmental services for the youth and their families. These are the Family Drug Abuse Prevention Program (FDAPP) and the Special Drug Education Center (SDEC).

What is FDAPP?

• It is a community-based prevention program designed to educate and prepare communities in general, and families in particular, about the adverse effects of drug and substance use and abuse.
• The FDAPP entails the promotion of family life enrichment activities that enhance relationships among family members.
• Through the FDAPP, families are helped to understand drug abuse, its dangers and adverse effects.
• Likewise, families are taught how to prevent any member from using prohibited drugs giving emphasis on the roles of each member, and trained to deal with the problem of substance abuse in the family specifically on what to do when a family member is undergoing treatment and rehabilitation.

Who implements the FDAPP?

• Like any other community-based program, the Barangay Council implements the FDAPP.
• The Barangay Council is supported by the provincial/city/municipal local government units; non-government organizations; people’s organizations; faith-based groups; schools and centers of education; and the families in the community.

Who are the target clientele of FDAPP?

• Parents, youth and adult members within the family;
• Family whose members feel inadequate in their respective family roles and needs to help them function adequately such as the “first time” parents;
• Families where members are discontented and feel that their needs are not being met by their family heads; and
• Families who are experiencing a stressful situation due to substance abuse.

What are the components of FDAPP?

• Organization of families – the families are organized into family councils to conduct activities within their groups and communities as advocates of drug abuse prevention.
• Capability Building – training activities are conducted for family members, community leaders and service providers.
• Training on Positive Lifestyle Promotion and Leadership – young people are trained in peer counseling, values education and leadership towards the promotion of positive lifestyle.
• Advocacy and social mobilization – program and policy advocacy as well as social mobilization activities are launched in order to increase awareness and ensure support in the implementation of FDAPP, involving full family participation in anti-drug abuse.
• Networking and Alliance building – collaboration and cooperation with existing anti-drug abuse councils, government and non-government organizations, as well as parents and youth organizations to raise awareness on drug abuse prevention issues which affect the families and communities.

What are the services of FDAPP?

• Empowerment and Reaffirmation of Paternal Abilities or ERPAT – this involves the organization of fathers as advocates in the promotion of a drug free home. It gives emphasis on the development and expansion of knowledge, skills and appropriate attitude of fathers in performing their paternal roles and responsibilities.
• Parent Effectiveness Service or PES – this provides couples and caregivers with parenting knowledge and skills to be able to respond to parental duties and responsibilities, behavior management of children and other challenges of parenting.
• Family Violence Prevention Service – this prepares the family members to protect themselves against violence and manage resolution of conflict within the family.
• Self-employment assistance program – this builds capacities among family members to enhance their socio-economic skills toward the establishment of sustainable self-managed community based organizations for entrepreneurial development.

What are the distinct activities of FDAPP?

• Involvement of relevant Barangay Based Institutions Network
• Formation of a Barangay Drug Abuse Council or BADAC.
• Organization of Family Councils in the Barangay.

What benefits can a community get from FDAPP?

• Increase the level of awareness on drug related issues among residents
• Decrease in petty crimes committed by substance users especially the out-of-school youths
• Increase in the level of enthusiasm on sports activities versus involving in illegal activities
• Increase in the number of parental attendance in daily livelihood activities
• Active participation of the people in government-sponsored projects
• Cooperative and active constituents participating in Barangay Intelligence Network
• Decline in filing of formal cases on illegal drugs.
• Increase in family income due to stable local tourism industry

How can we avail of these services?

• The beneficiaries of the program can avail of these services through the social welfare and development offices of the local government units.