Parents Who Use Drugs – An introduction
Parents Who Use Drugs An introduction
The UK Hidden Harm report (2004) estimated that there are between 250.000 and 350.000 children of problem drug users in the UK- about 1 child for every problem drug user.
In addition alcohol concern estimated in 2006 that 1.3 million children are affected by parental alcohol problems
It is worth noting that the number of children affected by parental alcohol misuse is five times higher than those affected by parental drug misuse. However the amount spent on services and research has always tended to lean towards drugs rather than alcohol.
Whilst these figures give us some idea of the extent of the problem it is very difficult to give a true reflection for a number of reasons:
Stigma and secrecy associated with problem drinking and drug use
Children may be reluctant to discuss and seek help for fear of the consequences to them and their parents.
Lack of routinely collected information.
What we can be sure of however is the huge impact that parental substance misuse can have of children who have to live with it. The children of substance misusing parents can suffer disadvantage across every domain: social, psychical, psychological and biological.
Whilst we cannot give an exhaustive list of every problem we may witness whilst working with this client group, below is an introductory list to some of the major concerns we should be looking for.
Key concerns in relation to parental substance misuse may include:
The child's basic physical needs not being adequately met.
The child receives inadequate supervision for their age.
Health appointments for the child are not kept or appropriate advice is not sought for any health problems the child may be experiencing.
Disruption to the child's education or poor school attendance.
Child's own needs are not being acknowledged or are ignored by their caregiver.
Unrealistic expectations of a child's abilities.
No clear boundaries between family roles with the child assuming a parental role.
Lack of boundaries and routines for the child.
In addition the child's daily life may involve a great deal of emotional stress in terms of:
Fearing they may be abandoned.
Fearing that their parent/s may die.
Being afraid their parent/s do not love them.
Being afraid other people may find out about their parents substance misuse.
Feeling responsible for their parent/s misuse.
Children who live with these daily stresses may present as sad, unhappy and withdrawn.
Their own self-esteem may well be affected as they feel they have no control over events within their own lives.
The children of substance misusing parents alongside young carers can often be one of the least served vulnerable groups by services. As outlined above it can be very difficult to identify these children due to stigma and secrecy associated with problematic drug and alcohol misuse, I would recommended investigating this subject further and links to relevant websites can be found on our site below.
Specialist training in working with substance misusing parents can also be a very effective way to ensure that services are up to date and providing effective support to these vulnerable children.
In summary it is vitally important that services have effective measures in place to support these families and children and screening measures to hopefully identify them at an early and timely stage.
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