Abstract
In Aotearoa New Zealand, the impact of alcohol harms and high prevalence rates of fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) have far reaching consequences, especially for those living with the lifelong disability, their wh & amacr;nau or families, and for those offering care, support and FASD-informed services. Families living with FASD can face a range of complex challenges and require ongoing assistance from services in health, education, welfare, disability and justice systems. There have been few studies examining professionals' perspectives on what enables people with FASD to live well and what systemic and practice-level changes are needed to promote wellbeing for this group of people. This study set out to examine, through semi-structured interviews, the viewpoints of 43 stakeholders, all of whom had significant experience of working in the FASD field. A third of the stakeholders were also caregivers for those living with FASD. One stakeholder was living with FASD. Their professional backgrounds were varied, from health and disability to justice and legal, education, social work, community and NGO backgrounds. Professionals were asked about their experiences of working in the FASD field, their views of wellbeing, examples of good practice in helping families with FASD and ideas for system change. Findings revealed how professionals played a crucial role in delivering training and interventions to build capacity, alongside offering strengths-based practices that sought to enhance belonging, stability and positive relationships. Professionals were however frustrated at the lack of national strategy and policy to accept FASD as a funded disability in Aotearoa New Zealand and the inevitable lack of resources to ensure equity and inclusion for families where FASD was their daily lived experience.