Latest casenotes on parental substance misuse released

The latest casenotes released by the NSPCC, focussing on substance misuse by parents, has highlighted the statistic that more than 100 children a week are contacting Childline with worries about their parents' drinking or drug use.

Children as young as five are contacting ChildLine because they are concerned and often scared about their parents drinking or taking drugs.

Last year the free, 24-hour service took 5,700 calls from children – some still at primary school - wanting to talk about the problem. Many of them also revealed they were being beaten, sexually abused or neglected.

For the first-time, through this report, ChildLine is revealing a heart-rending insight into the lives of children who are desperately trying to cope with a traumatic role reversal where they are attempting to look after their parents, brothers and sisters. Yet despite this ‘huge burden of responsibility’ they are more concerned with solving their families’ problems than their own.