Children living with carers who use alcohol and other drugs Katherine Wadbrook, Service Manager, CGL West Sussex Young Persons & Families Services
What we will look at today What is the prevalence of this as an issue What is the impact of substance use? How do we assess impact? Safe storage What do children need What do parents/carers/families need What support is available NOTE: please do not share or use the images in this presentation – they are the property of the children we work with. We will be sending round a version without these images Change Grow Live 2019
Parental substance use falls into the remit of anyone working with children, parents and families, therefore no professional is immune to the need for knowledge in this area. Change Grow Live 2019
Prevalence Up to 2.6 million children are living with parents who are • drinking hazardously 705,000 are living with dependent drinkers • 1 in 3 under 16s are living with at least one binge drinking • parent (that’s 3.3 -3.5 million children) Journal of Public Health, 2009 An estimated 250,000 to 350,000 children are affected by parental substance misuse Adfam, 2015 Change Grow Live 2019
65% of alcohol in England is being sold through the off-trade (supermarkets and other off- licences). https://www.childrenssociety.org.uk/sites/default/files/families-first.pdf Change Grow Live 2019
The 2011 Munro Review of child protection found that many services (including substance misuse agencies) were too focused on adults and not enough on the children affected by adults’ problems ‘Parents with drug problems: How treatment helps’ (2012) Change Grow Live 2019
There is evidence of parental substance misuse in 57% of serious case reviews ‘Swept under the carpet’ (2011) Change Grow Live 2019
Most parents and carers who drink alcohol or use drugs do so in moderation and don't present an increased risk of harm to their children Cleaver et al, 2011 However, parents and carers who misuse substances often have chaotic, unpredictable lifestyles and may struggle to provide their children with safe care and clear boundaries. NSPCC website Change Grow Live 2019
The impact of problematic substance use What is problematic/dependent? 1. Loss of control over the drug’s use. 2. The use of alcohol or drugs becomes the most important thing. This is even over things that were once important like family, health, career. 3. Compulsion to use. The person gets locked into only seeing the benefits and not the harm it will do. 4. Withdrawal. The person’s body reacts to the drug leaving the body. 5. Personal losses or major life consequences as a result of drinking or using drugs. 6. Continue using in the face of serious consequences. Change Grow Live 2019
Impact on children and young people • feeling ‘different’ guilt, shame, stigma • loss • sadness, depression • loneliness, isolation • stress, fear and anxiety • caring role • neglect of needs • trauma • financial impact • “ Daddy In the Sky ” Child aged 6 – impact on relationships • dealing with grief and loss mistrust • behavioural difficulties • Change Grow Live 2019
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“Being brought up in an alcoholic family I was used to living in chaos and fear and learnt many coping strategies to help me to survive.” Angela, 25
The impact of non problematic substance use – is there any? Children who see their parents drunk are twice as likely to get drunk themselves Joseph Rowntree Foundation, 2011 Change Grow Live 2019
Research highlighted recently in the media (non-dependent drinking): The children surveyed, aged between 10 -17, reported negative experiences that included being given less attention than usual • being put to bed earlier or later than their usual • time having arguments with parents more than normal • being at the receiving end of increased • unpredictability Parents in the upper consumption group were around three times more likely to have been asked by their child to drink less https://academic.oup.com/alcalc/advance-article-abstract/doi/10.1093/alcalc/agz086/5611882?redirectedFrom=fulltext Change Grow Live 2019
How do we assess impact – risks and protective factors Practitioners need to work with children and families to identify, assess and, where necessary, intervene to minimise the impact of substance misuse (Bogg, 2013). This will involve a holistic assessment of the child’s development, the parents’ ability to meet the child’s needs and the impact of broader family and environmental factors. Practitioners must be able to recognise the family’s strengths and distinguish between immediate concerns for the child’s safety and wellbeing and risks which can be mitigated with appropriate support (Bogg, 2013; Cleaver et al., 2011). Assessments of parental substance users and their children must take into account the support structures in place within the wider family context, as well as the needs that these other relatives may have (for example grandparent carers). (Adfam) Change Grow Live 2019
Drug, Set and Setting – Zinberg Zinberg gives us the best description of the complexity of drug use experience as being a subjective and SUBSTANCE conditioned individual experience. He identifies three key factors in establishing a drug – using pattern: PERSON CONTEXT This can also be used to assess risk and protective factors Change Grow Live 2019
Assessment Although parental substance use is often identified as the primary problem within these families, decades of research clearly indicate that substance use is typically just one dimension in a matrix of problems that represent a threat to the wellbeing of parents and children . Innovations in the Assessment and Treatment of Families with Parental Substance Misuse: Implications for Child Protection. Child Abuse Review Vol. 27: 261 – 265 (2018) Published online in Wiley Online Library (wileyonlinelibrary.com) DOI: 10.1002/car.2531 Recovery and reorganisation can and does happen. Family members can begin to recover, address their needs whether the drinking or drug use stops or not. (Taking The Lid Off, 2008) Change Grow Live 2019
It is essential that we only make judgements on the impact of substance use on behaviour, or when that behaviour might harm others (Galvani,2008) Change Grow Live 2019
How can we support children and families experiencing issues with alcohol and other drugs? “Through all those times of fear, embarrassment, we acted as if nothing was wrong. I wished that someone would see the pain behind the façade and would care. We knew not to talk about Dad’s drinking. If we ignored it, we could all pretend it wasn’t happening. I’m still haunted by my memories.” Anon Change Grow Live 2019
What children need Children tell us they are confused when parents deny that an alcohol problem exists, despite evidence to the contrary. They often take on responsibility for the problem, believing that if it is connected in some way to them, that they caused it, they can find a way to stop their parent from drinking. When they know that this is not possible – that only the person drinking can make that choice – the burden of ‘failing’ is lifted from their shoulders, giving them the opportunity to live their own lives irrespective of whether their parent continues to drink. NACOA Change Grow Live 2019
What children need Many research studies suggest that children of alcohol and other drug dependent parents are at greater risk of developing problems later in life. However, studies also show that the sooner children are given information and support about alcoholism, the better able they are to develop resilience and able to make healthy choices for themselves. NACOA leaflet Change Grow Live 2019
What children need: Change Grow Live 2019
Substance use in families From Taking The lid Off, 2008
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What children need Children coping with parental addiction can benefit from celebrating themselves and building their self-esteem. Change Grow Live 2019
A heart warming story about identity and courage, and a tremendous young girl who cares for her alcoholic mother. Age 8+ Many children live in homes where things are chaotic and parents or carers are distracted and emotionally unavailable to them. This storybook, designed for children aged 2 to 6, includes feelings based activities to build a child's emotional awareness and vocabulary. A helpful tool for use by parents, carers, social workers and other professionals to enable young children to begin to name and talk about their feelings. Change Grow Live 2019
Change Grow Live 2019
Change Grow Live 2019
“ A world where bad people get taken away and made good ” Child aged 11 – processing parental drug use and domestic violence
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