Toolkit for teachers

Introduction

Background to the development of the toolkit
This toolkit has been drawn up by Alcohol Concern following discussion with teachers in schools. It is one of five interlinked sets of materials for a range of professionals working with children in generic settings. The starting point for the project overall is that, at present, the needs of children whose parents misuse alcohol go largely unrecognised by most professionals; but much can be done by professionals routinely in contact with such children to promote resilience to the long-term harm. A key problem for many professionals is that they (and often quite unconsciously) see parental alcohol misuse differently to a range of other problems facing many children. They feel a disproportionate sense of inadequacy in dealing with the issue and fear the need to react within the context of potential child protection concerns more so than they would in respect of other problems commonly faced by children living in difficult family situations.

The importance of the role of teachers
Teachers are more aware than anyone of their unique role with children. Unlike anyone else outside family members and friends, teachers have the opportunity of getting to know a child over time and form ongoing relationships with them. This is a weighty position to hold. Teachers feel the need to limit the expectations or hopes of other professional groups by stressing the limits of their role and emphasising their main aim as educators and facilitators of learning. Nevertheless, for children over five years old, a teacher might be the only professional who is in contact with a child and the nature of that contact and their role, together with their everyday teaching skills and expertise, means they are in pole position to notice a child who is starting to experience difficulties and to take appropriate action. They do this all the time in a variety of ways. This toolkit aims to help teachers apply the same practices they currently use when parental alcohol misuse is known or suspected.

Enabling teachers – what these materials do and do not offer
This toolkit has been drawn up for teachers, based on the problems and issues they themselves have identified as arising when dealing with a child from a family where alcohol misuse is an issue.

It is important, at the outset, to acknowledge that the role of teachers in supporting children is limited to within the context of the school and their role as teachers. It is also important to point out that this particular set of materials focuses on supporting the child affected by a problem drinker and not on alcohol misuse by children themselves. Finally, we are not advocating involvement with parents whether this be to find out about the extent of the alcohol problem or to assist them in dealing with them. This is both in recognition of the limitations of the teacher’s role and because, regardless of what their parents do or do not change about their alcohol misuse, children can be supported in developing resilience to harm - and teachers can help. These materials show how.

The aim of this toolkit is that teachers should:

Have information about the effects of parental alcohol misuse on children and what can be done to support these children, both individually and within the wider school context
Have information that addresses key issues that arise within the context of schools and the teaching role.

The intended outcomes are that teachers should:

Feel enabled to recognise where this might be the problem
Know what they can do to support a child and to facilitate resilience to harm
Know when matters should be referred elsewhere (and to where) and, importantly, when they need not be referred
Feel as confident of dealing with a child where alcohol is an issue, as they would with a child from a family with, say, a pending divorce situation.