Parental Substance Misuse and Safeguarding Bexley Safeguarding Children

Parental Substance Misuse and Safeguarding Bexley Safeguarding Children Board 1

Learning Outcomes awareness of the different understand types of the impact of substances substance and the misuse on effects on parenting individuals consider the know what impact on action to take children's when you development have a concern of parental about a child’s substance welfare misuse Bexley Safeguarding Children Board 2

Promoting Children’s Welfare • Safeguarding is everyone's responsibility: for services to be effective each individual and organisation should play their full part; and • A child centred approach: for services to be effective they should be based on a clear understanding of the needs and views of children. • London Child Protection Procedures 2013 Bexley Safeguarding Children Board 3

Safeguarding and Promoting Welfare Preventing impairment of children’s health or development Protecting children from mistreatment London Child Protection Procedures 2013 Ensuring children grow up with the provision of safe and effective care Bexley Safeguarding Children Board Taking action to enable all children to have the best outcomes 4

Significant Harm “Some children live in family and social circumstances where their health and development are neglected. For them, it is the corrosiveness of long term emotional, physical or sexual abuse that causes impairment to the extent of constituting significant harm” Working Together to Safeguard Children 2010 Bexley Safeguarding Children Board 5

Likelihood of Harm • Research has shown that children of parents with long term substance misuse issues are more likely to develop behavioural problems, experience low educational progress, suffer from significant social and emotional harm and develop substance misuse problems themselves. • 1/3 of all children subject to an SCR had a parent that misused drugs/alcohol Bexley Safeguarding Children Board 6

Likelihood of Harm • Drug/alcohol use by itself will not lead to a child being considered at risk of abuse or neglect but professionals should positively ascertain why they think a parent’s drug/alcohol use is at a ‘safe’ or manageable level and does not constitute a child protection issue. Bexley Safeguarding Children Board 7

Likelihood of Harm • In some circumstances, agencies or individuals are able to anticipate the likelihood of significant harm with regard to an expected baby (e. g. domestic violence, parental substance misuse or mental ill health). • These concerns should be addressed as early as possible before the birth, so that a full assessment can be undertaken and support offered to enable the parent/s (wherever possible) to provide safe care. Bexley Safeguarding Children Board 8

London Child Protection Procedures • Professionals working in universal services have a responsibility to identify the symptoms and triggers of abuse and neglect, to share that information and work together to provide children with the support they need. Bexley Safeguarding Children Board 9

Information Sharing • A key factor in many serious case reviews is that a good standard of practice has not been in evidence when professionals have been recording, sharing, discussing and analysing information in order to make an assessment of the needs of a child. Bexley Safeguarding Children Board 10

Information Sharing • There are many situations in which professionals can share information legally without obtaining consent from a child or his carer …. When an assessment of the risk factors affecting a child or family is being undertaken, information will be shared without consent when consultation has taken place with a line manager or designated safeguarding professional. Bexley Safeguarding Children Board 11

Bexley Protocol • When any agency identifies that a parent, carer or pregnant women is experiencing substance misuse problems, a CAF should be undertaken to consider the needs of the child /unborn child and to establish a Team around the Child Bexley Safeguarding Children Board 12

Bexley Protocol • For adult substance misuse professionals the identification of those service users who are pregnant or are parents or who have regular access to children whether they reside with the child or not, is essential. They should consider whether the child’s needs can be most appropriately addressed through a CAF or if the children are at risk of significant harm. Bexley Safeguarding Children Board 13

Assessment Framework Health Basic Care Education s eed nta l. N me lop eve s. D Ensuring Safety Stability Ch ild’ ty aci Self-care Skills Guidance & Boundaries Cap Social Presentation CHILD Safeguarding and CH Promoting Welfare ng Family & Social Relationships Stimulation i ent Emotional & Behavioural Development Emotional Warmth Par Identity tory ly His Fami ctioning & fun ily r Fam Wide t ymen ing Hous o Empl Bexley Safeguarding Children Board e Incom ocial ly & S Fami ation r Integ ty muni Com es urc Reso Family and Environmental Factors 14

Group Exercise • How might drug and alcohol misuse impact on child development using the assessment framework prebirth – 2 years – 5 years – 11 years – 16 years Bexley Safeguarding Children Board 15

Impact on Children • Foetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder • Substance withdrawal at birth and associated difficulties • Low birth weight • Link with sudden infant death • Transmitted disease e. g. HIV, Hepatitis B & C • Basic care will be inconsistent, money may not be available to meet child’s needs Bexley Safeguarding Children Board 16

Impact on Children • Chaotic lifestyle will impact on routines • Safety within the home may be compromised • Poor supervision of the child when under the influence • Will lead to inconsistent parenting, which can affect attachment • Parental criminal activity may be ‘normalised’ • Lack of stability in the child’s life. Bexley Safeguarding Children Board 17

Building on Strengths Enhancing Resilience • Understanding the importance of resilience can refocus a professionals intervention towards an outcomes based approach that recognises the individual’s and family strengths as well as meeting their needs. Bexley Safeguarding Children Board 18

Enhancing Resilience • Key factors for developing resilience in children and parents come from a sense of security, recognition of self-worth and the experience of control over one’s environment. Bexley Safeguarding Children Board 19

Children have said that they need • to have adults notice when things are troubling them; • to understand what is happening; to be heard and understood; and to have that understanding acted upon; • to be able to develop an on-going stable relationship of trust with those helping them; • to be treated with the expectation that they are competent rather than not; • to be informed about and involved in procedures, decisions, concerns and plans; • to be informed of the outcome of assessments and decisions and reasons when their views have not met with a positive response; • to be provided with support in their own right as well as a member of their family; • to be provided with advocacy to assist them in putting forward their views. Bexley Safeguarding Children Board 20

Continuum Of Need s 47 Child protection needs Bexley Safeguarding Children Board s 17 Complex support needs / Children in Need Common Assessment Framework Simple support needs Everyday needs 21

BEXLEY PROCEDURES CAF Bexley Safeguarding Children Board Front Door M. A. S. H. 22

Outcome Based Plans What is the outcome we want for the child / children? Bexley Safeguarding Children Board How are we going to achieve this, identifying the steps for change? What are the consequences if change does not occur? 23

Case Study Bexley Safeguarding Children Board 24

Useful Information • http: //www. bexleylscb. org. uk/ • http: //www. londonscb. gov. uk/procedures • https: //www. education. gov. uk • http: //www. bexley. gov. uk/index. aspx? articlei d=12619 Bexley Safeguarding Children Board 25