Northern Ireland: Growing Fears For Children Growing Up With Parents Having Alcohol Problems
Around 450 calls have been made to a helpline in the last three years raising concerns about the health and welfare of children growing up in homes with parental alcohol problems.
In 2016 alone, the NSPCC helpline received 152 calls from people in region worried about children who were in the care of adults they believed had substance use problems.
Almost one call per hour for a whole year
The figure means a 14% compared to the number of reports made in 2013/14
The Northern Ireland statistics were outlined along with UK-wide data that revealed that 8,500 people contacted the free and confidential helpline nationwide in 2016 about the problem, an average of almost one call every hour.
The figures have been released to mark the start of Children of Alcoholics Week, which aims to raise awareness of issues around parental alcohol problems.
Substance misuse all too often leads to the neglect or abuse of a child and it’s absolutely crucial that we do all we can to stop that.
‘The NSPCC provides services directly to families suffering from these problems to help them overcome them and provide their children with a safe and secure upbringing,” said Neil Anderson, Head of the NSPCC in Northern Ireland.