This item was published during the term of a previous administration that ended in April 2007
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Children need protection from 'Hidden Harm'
08/05/2006
The safety of children must always be the primary concern of professionals when deciding if children should remain in drug-abusing households, First Minister Jack McConnell said today.
The Executive published Hidden Harm - Next Steps, a document which identifies a range of actions and initiatives to improve the way in which young people living in substance misusing households are supported and protected.
An estimated 40,000-60,000 children in Scotland are affected by parental drug use.
At the Aberlour Project in Edinburgh, Mr McConnell said:
"Our vision is that all children in Scotland should be safe, nurtured and healthy. They should have the opportunity to reach their full potential and grow to become active, responsible citizens.
"These young people are among the most vulnerable in our society. They need parents who are looking out for them - not just looking out for the next fix. Quite simply, serious and chaotic drug abuse is incompatible with effective parenting. That is why we must improve how we identify children at risk from this parental substance misuse.
"Over the coming months Justice, Health and Education Ministers will examine what more needs to be done to ensure that we have the right operational and legal framework in place, that local service providers are absolutely clear about their responsibilities, and that children and young people do not have their lives seriously or irreparably damaged by the substance misusse of their parents or carers."
As well as outlining work already underway, Hidden Harm - Next Steps identifies the following areas for further action in the coming months:
more effective identification of children at risk, including at the stage of pregnancy - enabling appropriate support at the earliest possible stage
ensuring that drug users with children undergo a multi-agency assessment, so that decisions can be taken on parental capability and care plans with timetables that can be agreed and implemented - with the possibility of 'contracts' between service providers and parents
more effective communication between agencies, particularly between those dealing with adults and children, and including the sharing of information - building on proposed legislation to introduce a duty to share information for child protection purposes
to consider how barriers and cultures about confidentiality that act as an impediment to sharing information can be broken down
re-training of social workers and other frontline staff in child protection
examining governance, capacity and training to ensure that those working in this complex and challenging area have adequate support and advice, that they are clear about their and others' responsibilities and that they have the skills to do their jobs well
developing a new national fostering strategy, to build on work already going on to help support fostering even more effectively in the future
Justice Minister Cathy Jamieson said:
"Everyone accepts that taking a child away from its parents is a heart wrenching decision to make. It is a step that should never be taken lightly. But I am convinced that where a child is placed in serious danger by parents who are addicted to drugs, it is the safety of the child that must always come first.
"We are already doing a great deal to make sure we identify those children at risk and make the right decisions on how best to give them the childhood of opportunity they deserve.
"But we must do more and we must do it better. Hidden Harm - Next Steps sets out the progress so far. But it also provides a crucial overview of the difficult questions we must answer and the new directions we must take.
"The safety of thousands of children across Scotland demands our agencies work together better to identify, support and protect children who face the trauma of living in a family ruled by drugs or alcohol.
"By doing so we will not only help them have better childhoods and better life chances, but in the more serious cases, we may well be saving their lives."
Romy Langeland, Chief Executive of children's charity Aberlour, welcomed Hidden Harm Next Steps, which has come in the week that Aberlour, in partnership with Drug Action Team Association, is to publish the report of the Aberlour-led Think Tank on children affected by parental substance use.
The Think Tank report Have We Got Our Priorities Right? is a unique contribution to the current policy debate on the impact of parental substance use. It is drawn entirely from the knowledge and expertise of people working in the drugs and alcohol field ranging from senior managers to staff working directly with parents and children.
Romy Langeland said:
"The Think Tank strongly re-affirmed the principle that the needs of the child must come first. The challenge for all services that work with children and families is how to make that happen in practice. In some cases this will mean that difficult decisions will need to be made, which is also a key message from the Hidden Harm document.
"Problem drug and alcohol use does not necessarily mean that someone cannot be a parent, but there has to be comprehensive support from a number of agencies to help the family. However, there are times when the impact on the child is so serious that the only option may be to remove the child from home, at least for a period of time. The Think Tank very clearly identified, even when parents are seeking treatment, it is the timescale for the child's physical, social and emotional development that has to take priority.
"Have We Got Our Priorities Right?" sets out proposed criteria which we hope will help social workers to make those very difficult decisions."