Protecting against long term harm

Helping to protect against long term harm by encouraging factors known to promote resilience in children

This section has been adapted from presentations given by Professor Richard Velleman, Bath University.

This section aims to:-

Identify the factors that protect against long term harm
Consider how people involved with children can promote these factors
Ensure that professionals as a whole are not left feeling powerless to help children affected by a problem drinking parent. Specific action that can be taken by professionals in different sectors is set out under the individual professional group sections.

Introduction

This section builds on the previous section, which set out the effect of alcohol misuse on the way families operate and the effects on parental capacity and on children themselves. Whilst parental alcohol misuse can and does make life very difficult for their children and professionals concerned with children have little, if any, opportunity to effect change in the parents, it is by no means the case that nothing can be done to reduce the likelihood of long term harm.

In this section the evidence base is used to identify factors which increase risk of long-term harm and factors which appear to protect against long-term harm – termed resilience factors. The section then considers what adults who are in a position to support either the family or a child could work on to promote resilience to long-term harm, irrespective of attempts to bring about a change in the drinking habits of the parent/s. This information can be applied practically if used alongside guidance for individual professional groups. The guidance identifies the opportunities available to, and specific issues for, the following professional groups – teachers, school nurses, health visitors, practice nurses, children and family social workers and alcohol workers. The section concludes by identifying the skills which are required, skills that most professionals concerned with children already have.

Before considering the factors that help promote resilience to long term harm it is worth recapping on three main points from the last section. Whilst growing up with an alcohol misusing parent is generally bad news for children…..

Firstly the main issue which causes children to develop problems is not parental drinking, but the family disruption and disharmony that often (usually) accompanies the alcohol misuse. Most research shows that what upsets children most is not parental drinking, or even parental drunkenness or intoxication, but the rows and arguments between their parents which disrupt family life.
Secondly , the news isn’t all bad. These problems may occur, but lots of families do manage to keep it together. There is not an exact correlation between parental alcohol misuse and family disharmony.
Thirdly , although lots of children do develop problems in these circumstances, others do not. Even in families where there is considerable family disruption and disharmony, many children do not go on to develop problems. Some children seem to be ‘resilient’.

To effects on children and families section