Page 36 - Getting it Right for Vulnerable Children and Young People in North Ayrshire

Children and young people who are affected by parental drug and/or alcohol misuse Definition Problematic alcohol and/or drug use is defined as when the use of drugs or alcohol is 16 having a harmful effect on a person’s life, or those around them . Brief Overview Problem drug use can also include the unauthorised use of over-the-counter (and sourced via the internet) drugs and/or prescribed medicines; including new psychoactive substances (also known as legal highs). Adults can recover from problematic alcohol or drug use while being effective parents and carers for children. However, where parental alcohol and/or drug use becomes a problem this can have significant and damaging consequences for any dependent children. This can result in risks to their wellbeing and impair an adult’s capacity to parent well. Where children are affected as a result, they are entitled to effective help, support and protection, within their own families wherever possible. Parents too will often need strong support from services to tackle and overcome their problems and help them to promote their child’s full potential. Where a child may be at risk of harm due to parental drug and-or alcohol misuse, you must initiate child protection procedures immediately. When working with parents with problematic alcohol and/or drug use, services should always consider the possible impacts on any dependent children, be alert to their needs and welfare and respond in a co-ordinated way with other services to any emerging problems. All child and adult services should take account of the Recovery Agenda when addressing problematic alcohol and/or drug use. The recovery process was described in the 2008 National Drugs Strategy (The Road to Recovery) as: “a process through which an individual is enabled to move-on from their problem drug use towards a drug-free life and become an active and contributing member of society.” In recent years, there has been a growing recognition of the impact of problematic parental alcohol and/or drug use on children and young people’s lives. Children’s experiences – even within the same family – can be very different and they can display incredible strengths in managing difficult situations, as can their parents. 16 Problematic alcohol and/or drug use as defined in Getting our Priorities Right: Updated Good Practice Guidance For All Agencies and Practitioners Working With Children, Young People and Families Affected By Problematic Alcohol and/or Drug Use (Scottish Government: April 2013) Getting It Right For Vulnerable Children and Young People in North Ayrshire Live V1.2 April 2014 Page No:36