AMY WINEHOUSE FOUNDATION
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Mission Statement
In Amy’s memory, we work to inspire children and young people to build their self-esteem and resilience, so that they can flourish.
About This Cause
The Amy Winehouse Foundation was set up by Amy's family, in memory of their talented and much loved daughter who tragically passed away in July 2011. Today, Amy's Foundation helps thousands of vulnerable and disadvantaged young people, through education and support helping them to make informed choices about drugs and alcohol and helping them to reach their full potential. The charity has the following three core areas of focus: • To inform and educate young people about the underlying issues around drug & alcohol misuse. • To provide support for those most vulnerable, those at high risk of misuse or disadvantaged through circumstance. • To support the personal development of disadvantaged children and young people through music Key projects: The Amy Winehouse Foundation Resilience Programme: In secondary schools, colleges and community settings, dedicated staff and volunteers explain the risks associated with substance misuse through sharing their own personal stories. Our teams include people in recovery from their own drug or alcohol problems, or they may have experience of mental health issues, or homelessness. Rather than only providing information, or using a ‘scare tactics’ approach, our teams work with young people, parents and teachers to look at the underlying causes and consequences of substance misuse and risky behaviours, and to hear about students’ real-life concerns and pressures. In this way, students gain a wider, contextual understanding of the issues – as well as learning how to make informed choices about their own lives. The programme also delivers drug and alcohol awareness sessions to teachers and parents. Amy’s Place: Amy’s Place is one of only a few projects in the UK to bridge the gap between women leaving addiction treatment services and finding independent accommodation. Leaving drug and alcohol treatment is rarely easy, but it can be especially difficult for young women. Many will be overcoming histories of abuse and trauma, and their support needs are often more complex than those of a man in the same situation. In fact, research shows women have a far greater chance ofrelapsing into drug and alcohol use if they don’t have the right kind of support, which understands their situation. Amy’s Place provides homes for up to 16 young women at a time. Each lives in a self-contained apartment and is supported using a ‘co-production’ model, which means we work closely with residents to understand what support they need and tailor our approaches accordingly. As a result, the young women learn the skills they’ll need to re-adapt into everyday life and maintain their recovery. In 2019, Amy’s Place won the ‘Best Addiction Charity’ award from the Centre for Social Justice. Amy Winehouse Foundation Recovery Pathways Programme for Young People: Sadly, young people face multiple barriers to accessing support for drug or alcohol problems. Not every young person who is struggling with drug or alcohol dependency needs residential treatment, but for those that do, intensive and specialist support, in a safe and caring place, can be a life- changing experience. We evaluate each young person’s situation and level of need, before providing expertly tailored advice, care and support. Depending on the individual, this could involve signposting and referrals to other social care services, through to providing funded 12-week residential placements, as well as move-on housing and recovery support. Overall, state funding for residential rehabilitation has been reduced by more than 30% since 2015, something that has particularly affected young people, who rarely have the resources to access private treatment. What’s more, the harms of substance misuse on a young person are often less visible than those experienced by an older age group, while being no less damaging. On top of this, young people often lack the confidence and support to aid them through the state-funded system. Provided in partnership with the treatment charity Phoenix Futures, the AWF Recovery Pathways Programme provides bespoke support prior to treatment, so that young people feel prepared. This unique end-to-end pathway of care, which provides support at each stage of a young person’s treatment journey, is aligned to best practice for rehab care. Music Therapy for Children: For children with life-limiting conditions, music therapy can help to address important developmental needs. Not least because it provides an excellent means to increase a child’s communication, interaction and social skills as well as enhancing physical skills and promoting their overall wellbeing. Since 2011 we have been providing funding for music therapy in children’s hospices and centres working with children with special needs.