Better service co-ordination urged to protect children from alcoholic parents

By The Press Association9th October 2014News EnglandAlcohol, Child Protection, News England

More must be done to protect children whose parents have a drinking problem, according to a new study.

The needs of children may not be adequately identified by some local services for adults with alcohol problems or by children’s services staff – meaning that the youngsters may not get the help or protection they need, the study carried out by the Children’s Society states.

It also found that local services do not all work together effectively to measure and address the impact on children of parental alcohol misuse.

The report – I Think You Need Someone To Show You What Help There Is – was commissioned by the office of the children’s commissioner (OCC) and hopes to help address issues around children’s safety and the impact of problem drinking on children.

It follows on from the OCC’s Silent Voices study in 2012 which found that 30% of children live with at least one parent who is a binge drinker and that 22% live with a hazardous drinker.

It recommended that Health and Wellbeing Boards and Local Children’s Safeguarding Boards work together closely to identify and support children in families where there is alcohol misuse.

Researchers contacted children aged eight to 16 years old living in families where a parent or carer was misusing alcohol. They also spoke to parents who were misusing alcohol and professional workers in this field.

Talking about the impact that parental alcohol misuse has on children, a 13-year-old girl who took part in the study said: “The anger goes round and round in my head, I get dizzy and hot and I can’t cope I just burst. I have anger issues.”

Children’s Commissioner for England Maggie Atkinson said: “Children have a right to be kept safe from harm and adults have a duty to protect them, and this includes the damage caused by parents’ alcohol misuse.

“Parents and carers must be made aware of the effects their problem drinking can have on children and young people, and health and social care services must get better at providing effective co-ordinated responses.

“Problem drinking is frighteningly common. It not only causes problems for the drinker but also, all those around them, including their children. The social and economic cost is immense.”

Joanna Manning, of the Children’s Society, said: “Children and young people are suffering the impact of their parents’ drinking for a long time before it comes to the notice of the authorities – if at all. Even then, the routes to help and the services available are ad hoc and vary across the country.

“Too many people are in denial about the scale of the problem and the level of harm caused. It’s also the case that local authorities tend to focus on young people’s own drinking without consideration that it might be learnt or normalised behaviour from their parents.

“Equally, not enough is being done to address and support parents who drink, in order to reduce the impact upon children and families.”