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Impact on parenting
Not all parents
who use alcohol or drugs will place their children at risk, even
those who use the ‘harder’ drugs, eg. heroin. It is
not the substance itself that social workers need to assess, but
the behaviour and consequences of its use.
However, some
parents’ use will be problematic and will put their children at risk. In such cases the impact of the alcohol
or drug use is twofold:
- The impact
of the parent’s substance use on their own parenting
- The impact
of their use on the parenting of their partner (where only one
parent is using).
Where
both parents are using problematically, the risks of harm are likely
to increase
The effects
of problematic alcohol or drug use on parents may include the following:
- Less
emotional availability: this can result from both
the chemical impact of the substance as well as less emotional
attention to the child as the parent spends increasing time obtaining
and using the substance
- Emotional
inconsistency: getting high is usually followed
by coming down and vice versa! Thus, mood swings are not uncommon
and parents can be potentially volatile, edgy, withdrawn. Coming
off a substance, be it temporary or permanent cessation, is followed
by withdrawal symptoms which are uncomfortable physically, psychologically
and emotionally.
- Heightened
levels of conflict: there is a high prevalence
of domestic abuse (victimisation and perpetration) among people
with substance problems. While the substance does not cause violence
and abuse, existing conflict can be exacerbated and added to as
the substance use puts additional strains on the family, eg. family
finances.
- Family
disorganisation: important routines that offer
stability for children can be disrupted, eg. bedtimes, the school
run, meal times. There can also be practical difficulties, eg.
no clean school uniform, house is unclean or no food in the house.
Promises can also be broken causing hurt, confusion and an increasing
lack of trust. In addition, resilience factors such as good leisure
and quality time with non using parent or family members can be
disrupted.
- Poorer
monitoring and supervision of children: this can
occur as a direct result of the physical effect of the substance
on the parent but also as a result of parental priorities focussing
on the acquisition and use of the substance. Parents can be distracted
and/or be less stringent about who they are allowing into the
house.
- One
parent family syndrome: the drinker/user becomes
an extra dependent thus increasing the stress and pressure on
the partner left to cope. Keeping an eye on the drinker/user also
means taking attention away from the children.
- Social
isolation: parental alcohol and drug problems
bring shame and stigma to the home. Parents and children are affected
with children not allowed to, or too ashamed to, bring friends
home to play. Family friends may have also dropped out of socialising
if the parent’s substance use has made them unreliable or
embarrassing to be out with. Thus the children may have less and
less contact with people who could be used as a support, be they
peers or other adults.
- Health
problems: physical and mental health problems
can result from, or co-exist with, the problematic use. Where
this occurs, co-working with health colleagues is absolutely essential
to support both the parent, and the dependent children.
- Greater
likelihood of loss: there are the obvious losses
such as divorce and death that parents and children have to live
with, but there are also other potential losses that have a damaging
impact on children. For example, children may need to live with
the loss of trust in the parent, the loss of a safe home environment,
the loss of factors contributing to a healthy childhood.
- Child
carers: often children can end up caring for their
parent from a very young age as well as becoming their own parent.
The impact of this on their development and childhood is significant
and will be examined further below.
- Statutory
agency involvement: parents using substances problematically
will often have had the involvement of some other agency, including
health and criminal justice services, or services relating to
the care of the child. While this is a potential indicator of
a longer term problem, it also is valuable information when talking
to the parent about what type of intervention they have tried
previously, and what worked best for them.
In
research with substance using parents in Liverpool, Mahoney
and MacKechnie (2001) concluded that:
- Parents
blamed selves but felt powerless to change,
- Their
children were an important motivator for change, and
- Their
substance use had taken priority over their children’s
needs.
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This honesty
and awareness is unlikely to be presented in a context where parents
feel frightened and threatened by social services. The parents in
this study were already in touch with alcohol and drug services
and they and their children were invited to take part in research
about what services could do better to help them and what was important
to them as a family. While social work intervention is not able
to replicate the less threatening research context, there are messages
about how to encourage discussion and disclosure. This is done by
focussing on the family in its broader context and asking parents
and children what is important to them, how they would like you
to support them, and where the substance use affects, or fits into,
both what is important to them and their support needs.
NB. An important point here is the powerlessness felt by the parents
in the Liverpool study (above). This raises 2 clear points
for practice that will help in building a relationship with
the using parent:
- Work
in an empowering way that offers people support and choice in addressing their substance use
- Understand how hard it is to change problematic patterns
of substance use and that such change will often take several
attempts.
Both
of these require social workers to have knowledge of alcohol
and drug use, the range of specialist services available,
and the willingness to believe people and support them in
their treatment successes and failures.
None
of this means losing the focus on the child’s welfare.
However, facilitating services needed by the parent and supporting
them through it rather than leaving it to everyone else, maximises
the chances that the child’s need for healthy parenting
may be met. |
References
Mahoney, C. and MacKechnie, S. (eds) (2001) In a different world.
Parental drug and alcohol use: a consultation into its effects on
children and families in Liverpool. Liverpool: Liverpool Health
Authority.
Impact on children | Resilience factors | Assessment and intervention
Good practice | Websites
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