Abstract

Parental drug use can cause serious harm to children. Adult Drug and Alcohol Problems, Children's Needs supports practitioners in their work with families where parental drug use leads to concerns about children's welfare.

The training resource contains:

· summaries of the key messages for practitioners
· tools and tips to support effective practice
· training and development activities
· practice examples from around the UK.

This second edition has an increased focus on alcohol misuse and reflects recent changes to both policy and practice. The book will be useful for all individuals and agencies involved with families where parents are struggling with substance abuse, including children's social workers, substance misuse workers, primary care and school staff, criminal justice agencies, obstetric and paediatric teams, substitute carers and a range of voluntary and community services.

Joy Barlow MBE is a freelance consultant at Joy Barlow Consultancy (www.joybarlowconsulting.com). Until recently she was Head of STRADA (Scottish Training - Drugs and Alcohol). Prior to this she worked in research, was an advisor to governments and a contributor to their major strategic documents, and developed and trained a workforce of professionals involved in this field.
Di Hart is now a freelance consultant but was previously a child care social worker and manager before working in a practice development role for the National Children's Bureau. She has a particular interest in the needs of children living in secure care. Recent work has included a review of the 'naming and shaming' of children in trouble by the media and an international literature review of children's homes. She has recently returned from a Winston Churchill Memorial Trust Travel Fellowship looking at international approaches to child imprisonment.
Jane Powell has been a child care social worker for many years and has also worked at the National Children's Bureau looking at the development of best practice for families affected by parental drug misuse. She now works as a Children's Guardian in Inner London.

Research tells us that helping professionals who are not specialist drug and alcohol workers, like social workers, regularly engage with children and families affected by problematic alcohol and drug use. Research also tells us that these practitioners often feel poorly equipped to deal with such complex issues, often with limited specialist knowledge and training. That is why the second edition of Adult Drug and Alcohol Problems, Children's Needs is such a welcome resource, especially as it considers both alcohol and drug use. Based on a research informed model for meeting the needs of children affected by parental substance misuse, the toolkit gives practice tips, models for assessment, tools for reviewing practice, training exercises and much more. Practitioners across the helping professions will find this toolkit relevant and invaluable to support, challenge and develop their day to day practice in this area.
Dr Aisha Hutchinson, Tilda Goldberg Centre for Social Work and Social Care, University of Bedfordshire
Since its initial publication in 2007, this book has always been one of my favourite texts for training and practice purposes and this welcome newly-updated edition builds on all its strengths. Key debates are placed within a robust research and policy context and a good mix of models, tools and approaches are provided, underpinned by a solid theoretical foundation. Critical areas of engagement, risk assessment, intervention and multi-agency working are addressed, with a strong emphasis on proactive rather than reactive intervention and hearing the family's story. Crucially, the voices of children and young people who live with parental drug misuse are heard loud and clear, as well as those of carers and professionals. Training exercises, briefings, practice examples, case studies and links to other resources combine to produce a valuable resource for health and social care practitioners and trainers. Accessible and easy to read, this is an invaluable resource for anyone working in the complex area of parental substance misuse and child welfare.
Dr. Brynna Kroll, Independent Trainer & Consultant, Senior Assessing Social Worker, Somerset Family Assessment and Support Team and co-author of ‘Parental Substance Misuse & Child Welfare’