Alcohol Concern: Too young to cope: The impact of parents' alcohol dependency on children

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Friday, 11, Apr 2008 12:00

Alcohol Concern and The Princess Royal Trust for Carers have published a new report highlighting the negative effect that parents’ chronic drinking can have on their children’s well being. The report, Keeping It in the Family, estimates that approximately one million children live with a parent who is dependent on drink. Drawing on current research it argues that children of problem drinkers can experience long-term psychological damage into adulthood and that services to support both young carers and chronic-drinking parents are too scarce. It highlights also cases where parents’ drinking has become so dehabilitating that children have been forced into caring roles.

Don Shenker, Chief Executive of Alcohol Concern says:

““Alcohol misuse affects not just the drinker, but the family around them. Many children can just about cope, but for others, their parents’ drinking can lead to feelings of isolation, guilt and poor performance at school. Alcohol policies have barely begun to address this issue and treatment services must now have better support and funding to help both parents and their children recover from alcohol abuse. There’s also a real need to ensure that those working in the wider social care system are equipped to identify cases where parental misuse is affecting the quality of family life and that there are clearer protocols in place to help them co-ordinate support with the alcohol treatment sector where that is appropriate.”

Alex Fox, Assistant Director at The Princess Royal Trust for Carers says:

“The Princess Royal Trust for Carers currently supports 15,500 young carers and we are increasingly concerned that this group of young carers looking after a parent with alcohol dependency is both hidden and particularly vulnerable. Most young carers in this situation simply never get support, with too many ending up in care when families reach crisis point. Young carers’ services need the training and resources to reach these families while every adults’ alcohol service should routinely ask its clients, ‘Are you a parent? Can we help you in your parenting role?’”

The two charities will be making a number of recommendations to government to make work around alcohol harm reduction more ‘family-centric’:

· A National Alcohol and Families strategy bringing together the policy implications of Every Child Matters, Hidden Harm and the new National Carers Strategy, should be developed, led by a public health minister, to tackle alcohol problems in the family and to promote the health and wellbeing of children affected;

A new Public Service Agreement should be established to increase the health and wellbeing of children affected by parental alcohol misuse. There should be a target to reduce the number of children placed in care as a result of their parents’ drinking.

· Every Local Safeguarding Children Board (LSCB) should identify an ‘Alcohol Champion’ to lead locally on family alcohol misuse issues and link alcohol and families targets into other local plans, such as Local Strategic Plans, Local Area Agreements and Alcohol and Drug Treatment Plans. Joint Strategic Needs Assessments should include an audit of parental alcohol misuse and services for both alcohol misusing parents and their children.

ENDS

For more information or to request a copy of the report, please contact Frank Soodeen at the Alcohol Concern Press Office on 0207 264 0514 or 07866063013, or email franks@alcoholconcern.org.uk

For further information about The Princess Royal Trust for Carers please contact Sarah Ross at The Princess Royal Trust for Carers on 020 8498 7920 or email sross@carers.org

Notes to editors

Alcohol Concern is the national agency working to reduce alcohol related harm in society. We work to reduce the incidence and costs of alcohol-related harm and to increase the range and quality of alcohol services available to problem drinkers and their families.

The Princess Royal Trust for Carers is the largest provider of comprehensive carers support services in the UK. Through its unique network of independently managed carers’ centres, young carers’ services and interactive websites (www.carers.org; www.youngcarers.net), The Trust provides quality information, advice and support services to carers of all ages.