300,000 children 'blighted' by parents' drug taking

Thursday, 5 June 2003 12:00 AM

Up to 300,000 children in the UK are having their lives blighted by their parents' drug problems according to a new report published today.

The report 'Hidden Harm' from the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD) claims that approximately 2-3% of all children under 16 in England and Wales and as many as 4-6% in Scotland are affected by parents who misuse drugs.

It says children, whether out of shame or fear or because they are too young to articulate themselves, rarely speak out about their experiences and therefore become increasingly isolated.

Chairman of the ACMD Prevention Working Group, Dr Laurence Gruer OBE, explained that from birth onwards their parents' drug problems can endanger their health in many ways and cause a great deal of emotional and psychological damage that often goes unnoticed.

'Reducing the harm to these children should be a main aim of Government drug policy, and services such as child protection agencies, GPs and education bodies need to work in a joined up way so signs are not overlooked and these children's voices are heard,' he said.

Dr Laurence added that most services for problem drug users offer very little help for their clients' children which needs to be changed so that parents with serious drug problems are not frightened away by services.

'The aim should be to keep children with their parents wherever safe to do so - combining treatment for the parents and support for the child,' he stated.

The ACMD was established under the 1971 Misuse of Drugs Act to keep under review the drug situation in the United Kingdom and to advise government ministers on the measures to be taken for preventing the misuse of drugs or for dealing with the social problems connected with their misuse.

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