Children's Needs – Parenting Capacity - Digital Education Resource ...

42 Children’s Needs – Parenting CapacityThe figures also vary considerably at the point when children became the subjectof a child protection plan. The Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (2003)found that, on average, parental problem drug and/or alcohol use featured in aquarter of these cases. Once again, other studies suggest the incidence may be muchgreater. Forrester’s sample of 50 families on the Child Protection Register in aninner London area identified parental substance misuse as a cause for concern in52% of families (Forrester 2000). Turning Point (2006) suggests that half the childprotection cases involved alcohol misuse by parents.Hunt and colleagues’ (1999) data suggest drugs and alcohol featured in 20%of cases where children were subject to care proceedings. Separating these issuesindicates that 23% of cases subject to care proceedings included allegations of drugmisuse and 20% alcohol misuse (Brophy et al. 2003). An intensive sample of seriouscase reviews identified that a third (33%) of children were living with a parent whohad past or current drug or alcohol problems (Brandon et al. 2009). In some casesalcohol or drug misuse was closely linked to the child’s death or serious injury. ‘Drugor alcohol misuse was noted as a factor in most cases where “overlaying” was a positivecause of death’ (Brandon et al. 2009).Problem drinking or drug misuse and the type of child abuseResearch which explores parents’ problem drinking and drug misuse indicates anassociation with particular types of child abuse. For example, parental abuse ofdrugs or alcohol, or both, is found in more than half of parents who neglect theirchildren (Dunn et al. 2002).A focus on parental problem drinking also shows an association with violencewithin the family and the physical abuse of children (Famularo et al. 1992; Velleman2001; Alcohol Concern 2010). A review by the Priory Group (2006) found 66%of children raised in alcoholic families reported physical abuse of which 26% hadalso experienced sexual abuse. But which parent is doing the drinking may alsobe relevant. Although alcohol was cited in 20% of cases when children reportedphysical abuse at the hands of their father, this was not the case when mothers drankexcessively. Maternal problem drinking was more frequently linked to child neglect.‘One third of calls reporting neglect include a parent abusing drugs or alcohol. This wasmost often the mother. Alcohol was mentioned in two or three of these cases’ (NSPCC1997b, p.35).Research which explores the association between parental problem drug misuseand child abuse suggests parental drug use is generally associated with neglect andemotional abuse (Velleman 2001). Parents who experience difficulty in organisingtheir own and their children’s lives are unable to meet children’s needs for safety andbasic care, are emotionally unavailable to them and have difficulties in controllingand disciplining their children (Hogan and Higgins 2001; Cleaver et al. 2007). Thechaotic lifestyle and tendency to allow other users into the home may also placechildren at risk of harm (Brophy 2006). Famularo and colleagues (1992) foundcocaine addiction to be associated with the sexual maltreatment of children althoughnot their physical maltreatment (see also Velleman 2004).