Influence of parents on children’s alcohol decisions recognised

The Government has introduced new measures to increase parents’ confidence in talking to their children about alcohol. This follows the publication of ‘Children, Young People and Alcohol’, a research report for the Department for Children, Schools and Families, which demonstrates the influence of parents on their children’s relationship with alcohol.

The research results show “the huge importance of the parent’s role in educating their child about alcohol - parents were most likely to introduce alcohol to their children in their own homes, to set the rules and guidelines for drinking and the large majority of young people would go to their parents first for more information or advice about alcohol”. 97% of parents questioned said they would feel comfortable discussing the risks of alcohol with their children and “the majority of parents said that they would be proactive in dealing with the issue of alcohol and their child, and 90% agreed that it is up to them to set a good example through their drinking…89% of parents said that they were confident that the things they have done would help their child to have a safe and sensible relationship with alcohol.”

The research follows the Chief Medical Officer’s (CMO) Guidance, issued in January 2009, which gave parents a central role in helping to form their children’s relationship with alcohol – an importance which many parents may underestimate. The CMO advised that this importance should be communicated to parents, carers and professionals, together with advice on how to respond to alcohol use and misuse by children. In the research, parents were asked about their awareness of the Guidelines and their content. “One in three parents (34%) said that they had heard of the ‘offi cial guidelines or limits for sensible drinking for young people aged under 18’. However, amongst those who had heard of the Guidelines, very few said that they know much about them. While one in eight (12%) of parents aware of the Guidelines said that they know a lot, a quarter said that they had just heard of them.”

The CMO’s advice also stated that:

whilst an alcohol-free childhood is desirable, if young people aged 15-17 years old do drink alcohol it should always be with the guidance of a parent or carer or in a supervised environment parents and young people should be aware that drinking can be hazardous to health and that not drinking is the healthiest option for young people

children aged 15-17 who are drinking, should do so infrequently and certainly on no more than one day a week and they should never drink more than the adult daily limits recommended by the NHS

support services must be available for children and young people who have alcohol-related problems and for their parents. (The research found that ‘Detailed information about young people and alcohol, including information on the facts around alcohol (e.g. number of units in drinks) and about the dangers of alcohol to young people, were most commonly mentioned by parents as useful to them, or to make them feel more confident about their strategies with their child.’)

The Government’s new measures, aimed at tackling underage drinking across the country, also include:

• A Kickz football tournament, run by the Football Foundation, involving over 2,000 young people, with another 35,000 engaging in wider Kickz activity. These groups will include workshops involving conversations about the dangers of underage drinking

• Cinema advertisements showing the risks associated with drinking alcohol – part of the Government’s ‘Why let drink decide?’ campaign

• Local authority good practice guides facilitating work with the Police, Trading Standards, children’s and youth services to prevent the problems associated with underage drinking

• Additional funding of £350,000 for 69 Youth Crime Action Plan (YCAP) areas, for implementation of new police alcohol powers, including confiscating alcohol from young people and targeting retailers engaging in underage sales.

Home Office Minister, Alan Campbell, said:

‘Alcohol is often at the root of youth crime, so by reducing underage drinking we can stop young people being drawn into anti-social behaviour and crime.’