Supporting Children & Young People affected by parental alcohol & substance misuse.
Designed with Children and Young People in mind who are affected by parental alcohol & substance misuse, we offer a 2-hour training session, half a day and also full days. This course helps to understand the impact and identify need and risk. We look at ways to help support children and families and practical tools in safety planning.
Our Half-Day Training Session Covers the Following:
- How parental alcohol/substance misuse affects children emotionally, physically, behaviourally, and developmentally.
- Recognise key signs of hidden harm and understand how substance misuse can be concealed within families.
- Early indicators that a child may be living in a household affected by substance misuse.
- Using professional curiosity to explore concerns and gather meaningful information safely and sensitively.
- Demonstrate child‑centred approaches to understanding the child’s lived experience.
- The support needs of children affected by parental misuse across different ages and stages.
- Use practical tools to create a basic safety plan with children and families where substance misuse is a risk factor.
- Understand when Early Help support is sufficient and when concerns meet safeguarding thresholds.
- Use of simple, age‑appropriate tools and worksheets to help children understand substances and express feelings.
- Communicate age‑appropriately about what substances are, how they affect adults, and why this is not the child’s fault.
- Identify key resources, services, and toolkits available to support families (e.g., Early Help pathways, Hidden Harm, youth support, drug/alcohol agencies).
Full-Day Training Session – Enhanced & Skills‑Focused Version (5 to 6 Hours Duration)
LEARNING OUTCOMES
By the end of the full‑day training, for each of the areas covered, participants will be able to:
1. Deep understanding of parental substance misuse
- Explain the differences between substance use, misuse, and dependence, and how these patterns present in families.
- Understand the underlying causes of parental misuse (trauma, mental health, coping strategies) and how stigma affects help‑seeking.
2. Comprehensive impact on Children & Young People
- Analyse the short‑ and long‑term effects of parental misuse on babies, children, and adolescents.
- Understand trauma responses, attachment disruption, and the development of parentified roles.
3. Holistic family assessment
- Apply a whole‑family, strengths‑based approach to assessing needs in substance‑affected households.
- Integrate substance misuse considerations into Early Help assessments, including environmental, emotional, and developmental factors.
4. Advanced direct work
- Confidently use a range of child‑friendly worksheets, tools, and activities to explore feelings, worries, safety and understanding of substances.
- Tailor explanations about substances using developmentally appropriate language for different age groups.
- Facilitate conversations that reduce shame and help children feel heard and validated.
5. Working effectively with parents
- Use motivational interviewing techniques to support positive parental change.
- Understand how to build trust while maintaining safe boundaries and keeping the child at the centre.
6. Safety planning & risk management
- Develop detailed, collaborative safety plans with children and families, including emergency plans, safe people, safe rooms, and escalation routes.
- Distinguish between Early Help, edge‑of‑care, and child protection thresholds in cases involving substance misuse.
7. Multi‑agency working & pathways
- Identify when and how to collaborate with drug and alcohol services, schools, health, mental health, and domestic abuse services.
- Use local referral pathways confidently and appropriately.
8. Reflective practice
- Reflect critically on personal responses, assumptions, and biases about parental substance misuse.
- Apply trauma‑informed, non‑judgemental practice principles.
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