Practitioner Toolkit: Getting It Right for Children and Families Affected by Parental Problem Alcohol and Drug Use by Anne Whittaker with Lorna Templeton, Fiona Mitchell, Louise Hill and Anne Neilson, NHS Lothian and partner agencies, 2014. Available free: http://www.nhslothian.scot.nhs.uk/MediaCentre/Publications/ForProfessionals/ProtectingChildren/PRACTITIONERs%20TOOLKIT%20July%202013.pdf

Abstract

Parental substance misuse and its impact upon children and families has been widely researched and documented over the last ten years. We have estimates of the scale and impact of the problem, starting with the ground-breaking inquiry into the children of problem drug users by the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (2003), which made 48 recommendations for policy and practice. In 2009, Manning et al. published new estimates of the numbers of children affected. Then, in 2012, Adamson and Templeton's Silent Voices highlighted that the prevalence, identification and response to these children and young people are fundamentally unknown. Only in recent years have attempts been made to equip the workforce with the knowledge, skills and resources to reduce the impact of problem drug and alcohol use upon children and families, by promoting resilience and working with the whole family. Scotland has been at the forefront of addressing parental problem drug and alcohol use, and Getting it right for every child (The Scottish Government, 2014) provides an integrated strategy and effective operational approach, also recommended in a recent report from The Children's Commissioner for England (Manning et al., 2014). This consistent approach supports all practitioners in focusing on what makes a positive difference for children and young people, and what they can do to deliver these improvements. ‘Scotland has been at the forefront of addressing parental problem drug and alcohol use’ The introduction to the toolkit states that it is designed for any practitioner involved in the assessment and care of children, parents, families and family members affected by parental problem drug and alcohol use; that it aims to complement local and national strategies, interagency guidelines and good practice guidance; and, most importantly, that it responds to feedback from local practice and the need and desire for tools and resources. ‘Specific guidance on this topic is needed because parental problem alcohol and drug use is associated with social, legal, economic, and health-related problems that often complicate the delivery of care to these families. Much co-ordination and understanding between professionals and agencies is often needed.’ (p. 5) ‘Significant and of huge relevance to the range of practitioners it seeks to engage, support and develop’ This online resource is well structured with four core components covering: (1) assessment, (2) care planning, (3) action/implementation and (4) evaluation/review of care plans, which are all pertinent regardless of whom the practitioner is working with in the family. Each core component is filled with practice points, case studies, recommended reading and checklists which are clear, appropriate and useful for practitioners in their day-to-day work, but more importantly based upon current best practice and evidence. I am particularly heartened by the fact that the toolkit promotes a value-based system of care with a particular emphasis on keeping the child at the centre, recognising that these families often experience stigma, that substance misuse generally does not appear in isolation and the importance of working with the whole family. ‘Promotes a value-based system of care’ The resource is intended to enhance the knowledge and skills of health and social care practitioners and to support their continuing professional development, both of which are known to be essential for this often complex and challenging work. The addition of a learning and development plan or questionnaire would help to clarify how the resource is expected to meet these aims. I am struggling to find anything negative to say about this resource other than raise the question of how it will be kept up to date. There is a definite need for such a resource and I would welcome something similar in England, although there is useful and transferable information in this toolkit already and I know that practitioners in England will be very eager to access it. ‘There is a definite need for such a resource and I would welcome something similar in England’