Public enquiry needed into parental alcohol misuse, claim charities

A new report by national charities, Alcohol Concern and The Children’s Society, calls for a national inquiry into the impact of parental alcohol misuse on children.

The report, ‘Swept Under the Carpet’ estimates that, in the UK, 2.6 million children live with a parent whose drinking puts them at risk of neglect and 705,000 live with a dependent drinker. The charities argue that a national inquiry into the scale of harm and impact on society could force local areas to act quicker to protect children. The report also calls for mandatory social work training as recent research found that one third of social workers received no training on alcohol or drugs and half received just three hours of training or less.

Alcohol Concern Chief Executive, Don Shenker, said:

“It’s shocking that in spite of the worrying numbers of children affected by parents’ heavy drinking and domestic abuse, so little is being done to address this. The whole system sweeps the problem under the carpet and together with the secrecy and stigma involved, millions of children are left to do their best in incredibly difficult circumstances. A government inquiry must look into all aspects of parental alcohol misuse so that we can improve outcomes for these children.”

Bob Reitemeier, Chief Executive of The Children’s Society, said:

“I cannot stress strongly enough the harmful impact that substance abuse can have on both children and whole families; it is imperative that everyone understands these risks and we believe that education is the key. We are calling on the Government to make sure that everyone who needs either training or education to deal with parental substance abuse is given the appropriate assistance.”

Chair of the British Association of Social Workers’ Special Interest Group on Alcohol and other Drugs, Dr Sarah Galvani, also commented on the issues. She said:

“Problematic alcohol use by parents is highlighted by social workers as far more prevalent than drug use. Alongside the overlapping experiences of domestic violence and mental ill health, parental alcohol and other drug use are the three factors that repeatedly put children at risk of serious harm. We must support social workers to work as best they can in what are often very complex and challenging situations. This starts with excellent training in these issues at qualifying and post-qualifying levels, which currently is lacking.”

KEY FACTS Recent research estimates that 2.6 million children in the UK are living with parents who are drinking hazardously and 705,000 are living with dependent drinkers More than 100 children, including children as young as five, contact ChildLine every week with worries about their parent’s drinking or drug use There is evidence of parental substance misuse in 57% of serious case reviews (of serious or fatal child abuse). Since there is currently no routine screening by children and families services for parental alcohol misuse, this is likely to be an underestimate. In a study of four London Boroughs, almost two thirds (62%) of all children subject to care proceedings had parents who misused substances Alcohol plays a part in 25-33% of known cases of child abuse In a study of young offending cases where the young person was also misusing alcohol, 78% had a history of parental alcohol abuse or domestic abuse within the family In a survey of 250 recently qualifi ed social workers, one third reported receiving no training on substance misuse on their training course whilst half of all respondents had received half a day or less Alcohol use is a feature in a majority of domestic abuse offences Women – including mothers - experiencing domestic abuse are up to fi fteen times more likely to misuse alcohol than women in the general population

The report makes four key recommendations:

• Government should ensure that parental substance misuse and related domestic abuse becomes a mandatory part of all social work degree courses and launch a rolling education programme for those already qualified

• Government should ensure that parental alcohol misuse and alcohol-related domestic abuse are addressed within local commissioning arrangements for both adults’ and children’s services and that partnership working is made a condition for funding

• Government should commission a resource for professionals to use with children affected by parental alcohol misuse and support the delivery, at local level, of information for parents on the risk of heavy drinking to children

• Government should launch a national inquiry into the impact of parental substance misuse on children and the cost implications for society In a poll carried out in July for the charities, 87% of people surveyed thought heavy drinking by parents had a negative impact on children and families. 84% of respondents thought parents misusing alcohol is as harmful to children as parents who use drugs.

Swept under the carpet: children affected by parental alcohol misuse - a report by Alcohol Concern and The Children’s Society is available for free download at:

http://www.alcoholconcern.org.uk/publications/policyreports/
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