Summary

• FARS is currently conducting a Farsi community engagement project to assess the needs of the Farsi Speaking community members affected by addiction.
• Findings from this report will be used to promote FARS’ objectives in raising awareness about the Farsi community’s substance misuse needs.
• Participation in the questionnaires is totally anonymous.
• Your contribution to this project will ultimately enable FARS to carry out its services without incurring any costs to its clients.

Aims for this needs assessment:

• To improve the health and wellbeing of Farsi community members affected by addiction.
• To promote knowledge of addiction and raise awarness of treatment within UK, for the Farsi speaking community.
• To empower the Farsi speaking community members affected by addiction to access treatment without the barriers of language, shame, stigma, fear or ignorance.

Hypothesis for this needs assessment:

• Based on FARS’s experience and anecdotal evidence:
1. There is a problem of substance misuse amongst the Farsi speaking communities in UK with opium being the main drug of choice.
2. Farsi problematic users seldom seek help or access drug service providers. Why, where do they go for help and what happens to them?
• Hypothetical factors that prevent the Farsi problematic user in admitting to a drug and or alcohol problem are:
  • The moral view towards addiction
  • Belief they will get punished by community or by government
  • The stigma attached to addiction
  • Fear of shaming the family
  • Fear of having their confidentiality broken
  • Fear of getting deported
  • Fear of loosing their jobs
  • Fear of loosing their licence
  • Lack of knowledge of how to get help
  • Lack of knowledge of what kinds of treatment is available to them
  • Lack of knowledge of UK treatment system and procedure
  • Lack of knowledge about their legal and confidentiality rights as clients
  • Belief that drug services are ignorant about their culture and beliefs
  • Language barriers

• There is a big Farsi speaking community in UK yet no evidence or statistics on them.
• There is currently no research in UK indicating a problem of addiction amongst the Farsi speaking communities yet anecdotal evidence suggests different.
• There are no services specific for Farsi speaking community members affected by addiction. Existing Farsi community centres provide variety of assistance expect in regards to addiction.
• Logistics indicate refuges and asylum seekers have higher chance of problematic use. Many Iranians in UK fall in this category.
• World Health organization – WHO indicates Iran with a 10% addiction population. Many travel to UK.

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Objectives to identify:

1. If there is a problem of addiction amongst the Farsi speaking communities in UK?
2. What is the extend of this problem?
3. What are the dominant substances of misuse?
4. What are the prevalent patterns of misuse?
5. What are the underlying factors to substance misuse?
6. What are the factors that prevent the Farsi substance misuser from admitting to a drug or alcohol problem?
7. What are the factors that prevent the Farsi substance misuser from accessing help?
8. What are the gaps in existing drug service providers for the Farsi substance misuser?
9. What would facilitate the journey into treatment for the Farsi substance misuser?
10. What are the experiences and views of the Farsi speaking communities about substance misuse?
11. To make recommendations on how best to:
    
    • Cater to the needs of the Farsi speaking community member affected by substance misuse.
    • Provide culturally competent drug service provisions for the Farsi speaking community members affected by substance misuse.
    • Provide education, information, awareness and support for the above communities to access treatment.

Data from the findings will be used:

• To raise awareness about the needs of the Farsi speaking community members affected by addiction to relevant government authorities and policy makers.
• To raise awareness of the gaps in existing drug service providers, to relevant drug authorities.
• To make recommendations for culturally competent services and support facilities for Farsi speaking community members affected by substance misuse.
• To promote the undertaking of a comprehensive needs assessment by government backed bodies.
• To act as evidence of a need for FARS services.

Your participation in this Needs Assessment will be much appreciated