Parental Substance Misuse: the impact on children and goals for parental change

In an average classroom, 2 of the 30 children will go home to a parent with a serious drug or alcohol problem. Parental substance misuse may have a significant impact on a parent’s capacity and a child’s safety or wellbeing. However, many families manage in these circumstances. The challenge for workers is often to assess impact and to facilitate change.

This course is designed to help build knowledge and confidence to work more effectively with families where substance misuse has an impact. We will explore, through presentations, discussions and case studies:

• The research into parental substance misuse and different substances
• The potential impact of parental substance misuse on different age groups of children
• The potential impact of parental substance misuse on children’s development (DoH triangle themes)
• The inter-related risks associated with parental substance misuse
• Resilience and protective factors to help families with parental substance misuse
• The need for workers to recognise their own values regarding drugs and alcohol
• Professional curiosity and Assessments: The need to understand the lived life of children, the impact of the PSMU on the parent’s observed parenting and the protective factors to build on
• Evidence informed interventions to help families
• Setting goals and timeframes with effective interventions to meet assessed outcomes and manage risk