Parenting and Substance Misuse: Understanding Accounts and Realities in Child Protection Contexts

Abstract

This paper reports qualitative findings from a mixed-methods evaluation of an intervention for families affected by substance misuse and child protection concerns. The study involved twenty-seven families, including eighty-four children. The data illustrate the various impacts of substance misuse on family life, including neglect, instability and physical and sexual abuse. During semi-structured interviews, many of the parents went some way to counter highly stigmatised identities through confessing previous parental failings and demonstrating the distance they have travelled since then. A small minority maintained that they have been wrongly labelled as inadequate parents. Additionally, parents vividly recalled hardships and abuse, underlining the challenging material realities of their lives. For most, domestic abuse was a particularly dominant factor. Implications for practice are outlined in the conclusion of the paper.