Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has plans to assist local authorities in providing support for children in homes where there is parental alcohol misuse.

Public Health England (PHE) is working with nine areas (covering 13 local authorities) to help improve the lives of children impacted by their parents’ alcohol dependency through a £4.5 million innovation fund which runs over three financial years. Further information on the nine areas can be found at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/funding-to-help-improve-the-lives-of-those-affected-by-alcohol

To support all local authorities, PHE has produced a toolkit for commissioners of alcohol and drug services and commissioners of children and family services. It helps them to understand the extent of the problem of parental alcohol and drug use in their area, the number of children in those households and how this can impact them and provides advice on responding to local need.

PHE has also produced guidance for substance misuse services and children’s services to help them work together to safeguard and promote the welfare of children.

The PHE toolkit and the guidance can be viewed at the following links:

https://publichealthmatters.blog.gov.uk/2016/01/21/health-matters-your-alcohol-treatment-services-toolkit/

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/safeguarding-children-affected-by-parental-alcohol-and-drug-use