Nursery World - Inclusion: Working with parents with alcohol problems

With more children affected by parental substance misuse during the pandemic, Gabriella Jozwiak finds out what practitioners should do if they notice a problem

Practitioners should not ignore any safeguarding concerns even if the parents are uncomfortable discussing their situation

An estimated 472,000 children in England live with an alcohol- or drug-dependent parent or carer, according to figures collected by the Children’s Commissioner for England in 2019/20. The National Association for Children of Alcoholics (Nacoa) sets this estimate higher, at around 3 million across the UK. According to the charity’s research, these children are twice as likely to experience difficulties at school, to develop their own alcoholism or addiction, or get into trouble with the police.

But early years professionals can protect children and prevent intergenerational cycles of behaviour by identifying problems early and providing appropriate help.

INCREASING NUMBERS

According to the NSPCC, the number of children affected by parental substance misuse has increased since the Covid-19 pandemic began. It reported a 66 per cent increase in calls to its helpline in February this year from people concerned about parents’ use of drugs and alcohol. Calls rose from an average of 709 per month before the first national lockdown, in January to March 2020, to 1,178 a month in April 2020 to January 2021.

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