Invisible Children? Parental Substance Abuse And Child Protection: Dilemmas for Practice
| Published date | 01 June 2000 |
| DOI | 10.1177/026455050004700202 |
| Date | 01 June 2000 |
| Subject Matter | Articles |
Invisible Children?
Parental Substance Abuse
And Child Protection:
Dilemmas for Practice
Brynna Kroll and Andy Taylor draw on relevant literature to explore
the impact of substance abuse on parenting and child welfare. They
also make use of a preliminary survey of professionals to consider the
implications for practitioners working with drug or alcohol using
parents. They conclude that a more holistic model of intervention
needs to be developed if the needs of both vulnerable children and
adult clients are to be met.
’fl3oy, 7, hands in mother’s heroin to his
argues that children may, as Cleaver et al
teacher&dquo; (The Tunes, 1998)
(1999) and Weir and Douglas (1999) fear, be
falling between the gaps in service
For those of us who have been long
provision for different groups. It will be
concerned with the effects of parental
argued that a new approach to intervention
substance misuse on children, this headline
is required that enables substance misuse to
was not surprising. The child in question
be explored while ensuring the ’visibility’
explained his behaviour as a response to his
of the children.
concern about his mother’s drug use and
told the teacher he wanted her to stop using
heroin. It was one of several similar cases
reported in the period of a week; all came
Parental Substance Misuse
and went with little impact apart from a
and Risk to Ciiildi-en
comment from the ’Drugs Tsar’ Keith
Hellawell, who dismissed them as &dquo;isolated
incidents&dquo; (The Times, 1998). This article
A significant body of research now exists
considers the extent to which children of
linking problematic drug and alcohol
substance misusing parents have become
misuse with both poor parenting and
’invisible’ in this context, as Robinson and
different forms of child maltreatment (see,
Rhoden (1998) suggest and as some
for example, Famularo et al, 1992;
accounts of children make clear (Layboum
Coleman and Cassell, 1998; Sloan, 1998;
ct al, 1996). It explores the dilemmas faced
Reder and Duncan, 1999; Ammennan et al,
by professionals in this context, who often
1999; Cleaver et al, 1999). Three particular
feel ill equipped to hold onto both the needs
themes emerging from this research are
of the adult and the needs of the child, and
central to the debate:
91
.
Firstly, there appears to be some
parents who are euphoric, benign and
correlation between substance misuse and
indulgent at one end of the spectrum, and
an increase in child maltreatment/abuse
depressed, aggressive or comatose at the
(Chaffin et al, 1996; Juades et al, 1995).
other. Clearly negative assumptions must
However, it is false to assume that all such
not be made but, equally, assumptions that
parents maltreat their children.
children will necessarily be fine cannot be
made either:
.
Secondly, findings indicate that
parenting skills, family life and dynamics,
&dquo;... the effects of substance misuse on a
and general child-rearing practices (such as
family is probably complex and varied it
...
discipline,
boundary
setting
and
is necessary
to understand the substance
...
consistency of care) can be adversely
abuse in the context of the individual
affected by drug-centred lifestyles (Magura
family and its impact on the child care
and Laudet, 1996). This may have
experienced by the children.&dquo; (Sloan, 1998,
considerable consequences for child/parent
p.39)
attachment
patterns
and
therefore
The
children’s
implications for a thorough
feelings of emotional safety,
assessment of the family system as a whole,
quite apart from the implications for
and not just the individual, are clear. Yet,
physical safety. Chaotic lifestyles can also
have
although assessing risk has always been an
a direct impact on children’s safety
and
important task for probation officers (and is
stability (Sloan, 1998; Cleaver et al,
a current preoccupation in welfare circles
1999), partly because they make it harder
generally), the main criminal justice
for professionals to keep in contact
literature on risk and drug/alcohol
(Cleaver et al, 1999).
problems does not address the risk posed
.
Thirdly, there is an increased risk of
by substance-abusing parents to their
violence in families where substance abuse
children in any real depth. This is despite
is present (see, for example, Bays, 1990).
the fact that ’risk to whom’ is a standard
The link between domestic violence and
risk assessment question (Kemshall, 1996
child maltreatment and the interface
and 1997).
between substance misuse, domestic
In contrast, risk assessment in child
violence and child welfare are the subject
care work identifies parental substance
of much debate (see, for example Hester
misuse as a key predictive factor in child
et al, 2000). However, it must be
maltreatment (Greenland, 1987) and an
acknowledged that the interaction between
addicted parent is a feature of a substantial
substance use and violence is complex and
minority of children on child protection
is by no means as simple as some findings
registers (Sargent, in Parsloe, 1999). For
may suggest (Fagan 1993). The difficulty
example, in her snapshot survey, Rickford
in interpreting the figures comes from the
found that parental substance misuse was
fact that much substance misuse takes place
suspected for 70% of children subject to
in the context of the stresses and strains of
care orders (Rickford, 1996). In his
daily life, exacerbated by social pressures,
research into parental substance misuse and
experiences of discrimination, low self-
child maltreatment in Cornwall, Sloan also
esteem, anxiety and depression.
found that, of children on the register where
Fundamentally, the research suggests
parents had substance problems, parental
that many different possibilities need to be
behaviour was often characterised as
borne in mind when assessing risk posed
&dquo;either violent or failing to meet the child’s
s
by, or when working with, substance-
needs&dquo; (1998, p.34). Research into factors
abusing parents. Sloan (1998) highlights
contributing to child abuse tragedies has
the vast range of emotions and reactions
identified both alcohol and drug misuse as
that different kinds of substance misuse can
significant factors (Reder and Duncan,
provoke. Children may be living with
1999) and there is considerable research
92
both into the impact in later life on children
useful understandings and assessment can
who lived with addiction as well as
be reached, not in order to locate,
children’s accounts of their experiences in
compartmentalise or categorise.
the present (see, for example, Woititz,
This is particularly important in
1990; Robinson and Rhoden, 1998; Seval
relation to assumptions about gender - in
Brooks and Fitzgerald, 1997; Layboum
relation to both men and women - and
et al, 1996). We will now attempt to
parenting roles and responsibilities. Just as
explore some of the emergent issues in
women are still treated very differently
more detail.
within a range of systems, both welfare and
criminal
- - - ..-
justice (Worrall, 1995), men are
SubstancelB1isuse and
also treated differently when it comes to
issues of child care, child welfare and child
The Effects on Parenting
protection. Unfair judgments can be made
about women who are parents and abuse
&dquo;To ask the question whether drug addicts
substances (see, for example, Ettorre, 1992;
make good parents is to pose a question
Kroll, 1997), and by the same token men
which, while offensive in its formulation, is
are often discriminated against by tlxe cbild
serious in its import.&dquo; (Barnard, 1999,
care system (Ammern~an et al 1999). It is
p. 1109)
important, therefore, to realise the
In analysing this
importance of...
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