Prevention Conversation:
A Shared Responsibility

Prevention strategies are two-fold:

  1. Focus on supporting women who have given birth to one or more children affected by FASD, and those who are known to be pregnant and are consuming alcohol or other harmful substances. Services include mentoring, substance abuse treatment, counselling, and specialized prenatal and postpartum support.
  2. Prevention strategies also include supporting women of childbearing age who use substances and who are not pregnant. Programs include outreach, screening, referral and intervention supports.
  3. Prevention support services are specialized, culturally safe and accessible for women who use substances. Trauma-informed and harm-reduction oriented services support women to reduce or stop alcohol and/or drug use during pregnancy, and support healthy pregnancies. The Parent-Child Assistance Program (PCAP) provides services for targeted and indicated prevention of FASD. PCAP provides specialized and holistic support to women who are pregnant or who have recently given birth and have used drugs and/or alcohol during the pregnancy.
  4. PCAP’s goal is to prevent future births of children from prenatal exposure to alcohol or drugs. They do this by addressing the needs of the mothers – getting them stabilized in a variety of ways. The Network offers the PCAP program in partnership with Alberta Health Services (AHS) and in partnership with the Piikani Nation.

  1. Focus on the well-being of the mother and/or women of child-bearing age in a supported, caring environment. A healthy baby is not just a mother’s responsibility. The support of her partner, family, friends and the community goes a long way to help in supporting healthy pregnancies and families. This includes:
    • managing stress by talking about worries, taking one thing at a time, and getting enough health food, exercise sleep and rest
    • being patient and supportive
    • helping with housework and caring for other children or family
    • putting the mother’s needs first and asking others not to drink alcohol around her
    • getting professional help if needed, such as counselling
  2. Focus on supportive, non-judgmental conversations about alcohol use and pregnancy. The Prevention Conversation is an innovative approach which focuses on the unique role healthcare professionals and social service providers play in engaging women of childbearing age in such conversations. Free training and learning opportunities are available for anyone interacting with women of childbearing age. The Prevention Conversation increases community awareness about FASD, while strengthening community partnerships.
    • The Let’s Get Real Conversation targets and informs adolescents between the ages of 12 and 17 about healthy lifestyle choices, including information on drinking, being sexually active and using protection. For more information on both the Prevention and Let’s Get Real Conversations contact the Network Prevention Conversation Facilitator at (403)-330-8897.

Debbie Deak
Phone: 403-330-8897
Call to learn more and book your presentation.

Prevention Conversation:
A Shared Responsibility

Prevention strategies are two-fold:

  1. Focus on supporting women who have given birth to one or more children affected by FASD, and those who are known to be pregnant and are consuming alcohol or other harmful substances. Services include mentoring, substance abuse treatment, counselling, and specialized prenatal and postpartum support.
  2. Prevention strategies also include supporting women of childbearing age who use substances and who are not pregnant. Programs include outreach, screening, referral and intervention supports.
  3. Prevention support services are specialized, culturally safe and accessible for women who use substances. Trauma-informed and harm-reduction oriented services support women to reduce or stop alcohol and/or drug use during pregnancy, and support healthy pregnancies. The Parent-Child Assistance Program (PCAP) provides services for targeted and indicated prevention of FASD. PCAP provides specialized and holistic support to women who are pregnant or who have recently given birth and have used drugs and/or alcohol during the pregnancy.
  4. PCAP’s goal is to prevent future births of children from prenatal exposure to alcohol or drugs. They do this by addressing the needs of the mothers – getting them stabilized in a variety of ways. The Network offers the PCAP program in partnership with Alberta Health Services (AHS) and in partnership with the Piikani Nation.

  1. Focus on the well-being of the mother and/or women of child-bearing age in a supported, caring environment. A healthy baby is not just a mother’s responsibility. The support of her partner, family, friends and the community goes a long way to help in supporting healthy pregnancies and families. This includes:
    • managing stress by talking about worries, taking one thing at a time, and getting enough health food, exercise sleep and rest
    • being patient and supportive
    • helping with housework and caring for other children or family
    • putting the mother’s needs first and asking others not to drink alcohol around her
    • getting professional help if needed, such as counselling
  2. Focus on supportive, non-judgmental conversations about alcohol use and pregnancy. The Prevention Conversation is an innovative approach which focuses on the unique role healthcare professionals and social service providers play in engaging women of childbearing age in such conversations. Free training and learning opportunities are available for anyone interacting with women of childbearing age. The Prevention Conversation increases community awareness about FASD, while strengthening community partnerships.
    • The Let’s Get Real Conversation targets and informs adolescents between the ages of 12 and 17 about healthy lifestyle choices, including information on drinking, being sexually active and using protection. For more information on both the Prevention and Let’s Get Real Conversations contact the Network Prevention Conversation Facilitator at (403)-330-8897.

Debbie Deak
Phone: 403-330-8897
Call to learn more and book your presentation.

4%

of Alberta babies are born
with FASD each year

61%

of Canadian pregnancies
are unplanned

174,000*

Albertans are directly
impacted by FASD *estimated

The Prevention Conversation is about the risks of drinking during pregnancy or before a woman even knows she’s pregnant. This training program supports two overlapping components of the Prevention Conversation initiative.

  1. Raising public awareness about the negative effects of drinking alcohol during pregnancy and connecting women and their partners to information and services related to prenatal alcohol use.
  2. Training and supporting primary care providers to use tools and techniques designed to engage women in non- judgmental, empathetic conversations about alcohol use during pregnancy – an intervention measure that’s paramount in the prevention of FASD

The Adolescent FASD Prevention Conversation will increase awareness and prevention of FASD in Alberta, through participation in FASD The Prevention Conversation: A Shared Responsibility Project within the adolescent population, specifically those 12-18 years old.

Adolescent Prevention Conversation Facilitators will increase education and awareness through trainings and conversations to both individuals and professionals that work with the adolescent population or directly to the adolescents. Topics may include:

  • Alcohol
  • Binge drinking
  • Safer drinking strategies
  • Sex
  • Alcohol and sex
  • Birth control and contraception
  • Healthy pregnancies
  • FASD
  • Community resources

There is no safe time, no safe kind,
and no safe amount of alcohol to consume during pregnancy.

In Alberta, FASD (Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder) programs and services actively encourage that drinking no alcohol during pregnancy is best – no exposure equals no risk. These programs address prevention, awareness as well as supports for diagnosis/assessment and a variety of supports to individuals with FASD and their families.