Help the children affected by hidden harm

Editorial Department • Published 25 Feb 2011 09:00 0 Comments

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A small group of health professionals gathered at a local hotel last week to see the launch of a public awareness campaign in Fermanagh spearheaded by the NSPCC and other organisations.

The campaign is highlighting hidden harm, the term used to identify the appalling impact that parental alcohol and drug misuse can have on children.

Professionals working in this sector don't know exactly how many children in this county are affected. It is estimated it could be 1,300. "It is huge," admitted a the Head of Health and Social Wellbeing from the Public Health Agency.

40 per cent of the children on the Child Protection Register are there as a direct result of parental substance abuse. 70 per cent of children living in care settings are living away from home as a direct result of parental substance abuse

A respected professional who works to help people who abuse alcohol made the chilling statement: "We have created a society where it is not acceptable to be drunk in charge of a car but it seems to be acceptable to be drunk in charge of a child".

A support group for young people from Derry played a DVD of their interviews with teenagers whose home lives are ravaged by parental alcohol abuse. They told the stories of not having milk for breakfast in the morning, getting late to school with unwashed uniforms and returning home to chaotic and uncleaned homes in the evening with little hope of a full fridge or even less hope of help with their homework. Older children become parents to the younger children as their parents may be physically there but not capable of parenting properly.

As the NSPCC professional said: "Within the local community there are children experiencing impossible pressures as a result of a parent's alcohol or drug misuse. For those children and young people whose home life has become unpredictable, chaotic and isolated – and indeed their extended family and the wider community - knowledge of the support services that are available locally could prove invaluable".

What the campaign is asking is that if you see a family that needs help -- do something about it and get the appropriate help. If you are parent drinking too much and too often, seek help. And if you are a child in this type of family, there are people and organisations who can help and understand your predicament.

This article appeared in Impartial Reporter 24 Feb 11

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