New detox program targets mothers

Anecdotal evidence suggests drug-dependent mothers living in the ACT do not participate in detox programs because there are no services catering for women and their children.

But Canberra-based drug rehabilitation company Directions ACT hopes a new a one-month pilot program that supports mothers and their children in a non-medicated environment will change that.

Executive director Tina Van Raay says she hopes it will be the beginning of a long-term solution to the problem.

"What we hope to have is information that is much more [exact] than what we have now," she said.

"We're guessing and estimating and sure, we can have a lot of anecdotal evidence but we need something a bit more empirical that shows the barriers for women and children coming into this sort of service and shows the long-term damage to the community."