Supporting problem drinking parents
Briefings and guidance
The following papers cover a broad range of issues around parental alcohol misuse.
Briefings
Child protection issues for
professionals working with parents who misuse alcohol
This briefing
paper looks at issues of child protection with specific emphasis on the alcohol
misuse of parents. It outlines the key areas of concern for professionals who
work with clients who are parents and who misuse alcohol. There are a number of
case studies that illustrate the “grey” area between support and intervention,
which will help those working in this field to clarify their own understanding
of the issues.
Common assessment framework and parental
alcohol misuse
This
briefing paper looks at how practitioners working with children, young people
and/or families can use the common assessment framework to identify the
potential impacts of parental alcohol misuse. Guidance is offered on setting the
context for an assessment with families, so that questions can be asked more
openly and family members feel comfortable responding.
Hidden harm
issues for professionals working with parents who misuse alcohol
This briefing looks at the national agenda of Hidden Harm and considers how the
government’s recommendations can be addressed locally in the context of parental
alcohol misuse. There are a number of case studies that illustrate how some
agencies have addressed the issue together with a case study that reflects upon
the words of a child who was affected by his mother’s alcohol misuse.
Problem drinking and fatherhood
This briefing looks at how men’s status as fathers tends to be ignored across alcohol and child and family services alike. The paper identifies the importance of fathers and the fathering role in parenting and the specific support needs that problem drinking fathers may have (and also non-problem drinking fathers where the children’s mother is the drinker). Suggestions for practitioners wishing to offer services to fathers are provided.
Parenting, alcohol misuse and
treatment service provision
This
briefing paper looks at the complicating role of alcohol misuse on parenting and
the need to incorporate parenting support into alcohol treatment services. It
outlines recommendations from the research literature and policy initiatives on
how offering parenting support to service users who are parents can improve the
lives and life opportunities of their children, as well as improving service
users' outcomes.
Protective parenting and children’s
resilience within the context of parental alcohol problems
This paper
presents current research, theories and practice approaches relating to
protective parenting and resilience in children in families where there are
parental alcohol problems. It outlines the key areas of parenting and children’s
resilience that can be worked on and increased so as to improve safety to
children and increase the likelihood that they can cope and remain relatively
free from the long-term harm associated with parental problem drinking.
Putting the children first
Available for purchase soon
A leaflet for parents and families who are
worried about the effect that drinking has on family life. It looks at what can
help and includes a list of useful phone numbers and sources of help. By Alcohol
Concern and the National Family and Parenting Institute. This leaflet can be
purchased from
Alcohol Concern.
Safeguarding children: working with
parental alcohol problems & domestic abuse
This
briefing paper discusses the practice and policy challenges faced by alcohol
professionals working with parents and families where there is also domestic
abuse. It highlights the impact of domestic abuse and parental alcohol problems
on children and
summarises the fragmented policy framework in which these
overlapping issues sit. To conclude, it offers some building blocks from which
to formulate practice responses and practice development.
Understanding alcohol issues for
professionals working with parents
This
paper examines the issues surrounding parental alcohol misuse, the health
effects of drinking, how to identify problem alcohol use, how children might be
affected, what interventions can aid parents and help build resilience to longer
term harm in children and when and where to refer for specialist help,
information or informal support.
Understanding parenting issues for
alcohol professionals
Alcohol and the family: a position paper from
Alcohol Concern
This is paper looks at the
impact of parental alcohol misuse on children and families and what can be done
to support them. Although children can be particularly affected by parental
alcohol misuse, problem drinking affects all family members and recommendations
are thus made to support the whole family.
Guidance
Confidentiality: guidance for
professionals working with problem drinking parents
This paper aims to define
confidentiality in the arena of parental alcohol misuse, to research and
highlight examples of good practice. There are case studies that illustrate the
points made.
Multi-agency working:
guidance for professionals working with problem drinking parents
This document will guide the
alcohol and children and families fields in determining how best to develop
multi-agency working protocols. It outlines principles of good practice, using
examples of current practice where multi-agency working has enhanced and
facilitated the process of tackling parental alcohol misuse and its impact on
children.
