CHILDREN WHOSE PARENTS misuse substances such as drugs and alcohol are more likely to experience problems with their mental health – and to misuse substances themselves.

That’s according to the National Advisory Committee on Drugs (NACD), which also said such children are likely to experience problems with social skills and academic achievement.

While launching a new report by the NACD, its Director Joan O’Flynn said that there is a need for more integrated working between addiction services, children’s services and medical professionals to help reduce the negative impact of parental drug and alcohol misuse on children and the wider family.

The report, Parental Substance Misuse: Addressing its Impact on Children, was presented today at a seminar jointly hosted by the NACD, the Health Service Executive (HSE) and Alcohol Action Ireland.

The report reviewed all major international research on the impact of parental substance misuse on children and identified what steps can be taken in Ireland to reduce its impact.

Ms O’Flynn said that:

Alcohol and drugs misuse by parents can impact negatively on a child’s experience of positive parenting and can create stressful family circumstances that impact on child development. For many of the affected children, the effect of their parents’ substance misuse continues into their adult lives. For some, the impact can be multifaceted and persist not only into adult life but even into the lives of the next generation.

She said that stress incurred as a result of parental substance misuse, combined with the increased likelihood of the child being in care and/or suffering homelessness, “results in these children being at a high risk of emotional isolation and/or social marginalisation”.

O’Flynn added that there is also a concern for individuals whose partners misuse substances as their experiences of parenting can be dominated by a stressors including relationship conflict and/or breakdown and domestic abuse.

The report also highlighted the consequences of substance misuse during pregnancy, such as foetal alcohol spectrum disorder.

Alcohol Action Ireland Director, Fiona Ryan said AAI campaigns for children affected by parental alcohol problems to be seen and heard.

HSE Assistant National Director of Children and Family Services, Phil Garland, said there needs to be an agreed collaboration from national to local level between agencies to support children and families where this issue is a concern.

The key recommendations which the NACD makes are:

• Additional research and data collection to properly estimate the number of children whose parents have substance misuse problems
• The HSE Children First guidelines be used by all services and organisations working regularly with children who experience parental substance misuse and with their parents.
• Assess the extent to which adult alcohol and drug treatment services are supporting parenting and liaise with child support and other relevant services.
• Assess the extent to which professional education and training in areas such as youth work, psychology, addiction support, guidance, counselling and childcare can address children affected by parental substance misuse.
• Educate women on the adverse effects of consuming alcohol and drugs during pregnancy and train medical professionals so that they can raise awareness among their patients of the risks of consuming these substances.
• Consider appropriate interventions and ways of working for primary health care staff who are involved in the early stages of children’s lives such as Public Health Nurses, GPs and community mothers.

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