Parental alcohol abuse linked to child deaths and injuries

by Guest Sun Feb 11, 2018 4:44 pm

One in three child deaths or serious injuries from neglect or abuse linked to alcohol misuse.

More than one in three deaths or serious injuries suffered by a child through neglect or abuse is linked to parental drinking, a study has found.

A report commissioned by a cross-bench group of MPs and peers found that alcohol abuse by parents was behind horrific problems for children and warned that budgets of alcohol and drug treatment programmes were being cut.

“Parental alcohol misuse scars kids for life and can lead many into a life of drinking too much themselves,” said Liam Byrne, the Labour MP and chairman of the All-Party Group for Children of Alcoholics.

“Millions of parents drink too much and their misuse of alcohol causes horrific problems for their children.”
Alcohol misuse was implicated in 37% of cases of a child’s death or serious injury after abuse or neglect between 2011 and 2014, the study found.

More than half of councils did not have a strategy to help children of alcoholics. Referrals to alcohol treatment services were falling in more than 50% of local authorities, according to information released under freedom of information laws.

The study also found that 92% of the 53 councils that responded were cutting budgets for alcohol and drug treatment services. Cuts differed in severity, from £9.6m – or 58.1% – in Lancashire, to £87,000 – or 1.1% – in Wolverhampton. The average cut to local authority funding was around £198,000.

The group also found that 15% of children had their bedtime routine disrupted due to their parents’ drinking and 18% were embarrassed at seeing their parent drunk.

https://www.theguardian.com/society/2018/feb/11/parental-alcohol-abuse-linked-to-child-deaths-and-injuries

by Raggamuffin Sun Feb 11, 2018 4:47 pm

People with children shouldn't become alcoholics in the first place.

If they're just drinking too much, it's up to them to stop - they don't need a "treatment programme".

Parental alcohol abuse linked to child deaths and injuries

Parental alcohol abuse linked to child deaths and injuries

Re: Parental alcohol abuse linked to child deaths and injuries