Parental drug use
Parental substance misuse can have serious negative affects on children and young people from as early as conception through to adulthood. This is a group whose particular needs are frequently overlooked and are often in need of protection.
Hidden Harm
In March 2005 the DfES published the Government's response to
Hidden Harm: an Inquiry by the Advisory Council for the Misuse
of Drugs that contained 48 recommendations to address the effect of
parental drug misuse on children. The report contains six main messages
outlining the main issues:
- An estimate that there are between 250,000 and 350,000 children of problem drug users in the UK — about one for every problem drug user.
- Parental drug use can, and does, cause serious harm to children at every stage, from conception to adulthood.
- Reducing the harm to children from parental problem drug use should become a main objective of policy and practice.
- Effective treatment of the parent can have major benefits for the child.
- By working together, services can take many practical steps to protect and improve the health and well-being of affected children.
- The number of affected children is only likely to decrease when the number of problem drug users decreases.
With each recommendation requiring action across Government, the report outlines which Government departments have lead responsibility.
