United Kingdom: Children of alcoholics to get help from £6m fund
By Dominic Yeatman
April 23, 2018
CHILDREN suffering at the hands of alcoholic parents will be offered a lifeline under plans to provide them with quick access to support and services.
An estimated 200,000 children in England living with alcohol-dependent parents are to be given faster access to mental health services and support for their families under government plans.
It comes after the NSPCC reported a 16 per cent rise in calls involving drink or drug abuse.
Outreach programmes to get more parents successfully through addiction treatment, and early intervention programmes to reduce the numbers of children needing to go into care, will also benefit from £6million in funding from the government.
Public health minister Steve Brine has been given the specific responsibility for children with alcohol-dependent parents.
He said: ‘All children deserve to feel safe, and it is a cruel reality that those growing up with alcoholic parents are robbed of this basic need.
‘Parents struggling to cope need support to get back on their feet and children need to be provided with safety and stability.’