BBB – Bedre støtte til pårørende og etterlatte i rusmiddeltjenester

Project summary

Family members and bereaved individuals affected by a relative’s substance use experience substantial and often prolonged stress, which can lead to serious health problems and complicated grief. At the same time, they hold significant but underutilised potential to support recovery processes. Despite clear policy recommendations, substance use services rarely involve family members or the bereaved in systematic ways. This project builds on insights from the follow‑up research in Project END, which highlights the need for improved support and more integrated service approaches. This is a research and service‑innovation project involving planned collaboration between municipalities, specialist health services, and research institutions. It is grounded in the PPP/BBB framework, which identifies three core domains of needs among family members and the bereaved: Participate – contributing constructively to the recovery process Protect – safeguarding their own and their family’s wellbeing Process – making cognitive, emotional, and relational sense of their situation How The project will: Organise the needs of family members and bereaved individuals within the PPP/BBB framework to guide service development Develop and implement an innovation initiative using evidence‑based, family‑focused methods Involve key stakeholders and end‑users throughout the process Evaluate experiences and outcomes through qualitative and quantitative follow‑up research