Study protocol for the family empowerment program: a randomized waitlist-controlled trial to evaluate the effectiveness of online Community Reinforcement and Family Training (CRAFT) on the wellbeing of family members with a relative experiencing substance dependence and mental illness.

"Disclosures The authors have no financial or non-financial conflicts of interest to disclose. Declarations Ethics approval and consent to participateReviewed by Charles Sturt University, Ethics approval number: H23769. Participants will consent by signing the consent form following a screening interview and information process prior to any data being collected.Ethics approval has been obtained from the participating institution (CSU-HREC approval number H23769). Results of the trial will be submitted for publication in peer reviewed journals and findings presented at scientific conferences and to key service providers and policy makers. Consent for publicationNot applicable. Competing interestsThe authors declare no competing interests. Competing interests The authors declare no competing interests."

"Funding The study is funded by the Australian Commonwealth Department of Health and Aging who have reviewed and approved the study protocol prior to trial registration and ethical approval. The funder has had no role in study design and will not participate in collection, management, analysis, and interpretation of data."

"Trial registration ANZCTR, ACTRN12623000796684p, Registered 26 July 2023. Prospectively registered with protocol version 3."