South Yorkshire MP backs calls for more support for kids with an alcoholic parent
There are calls for children in South Yorkshire whose parents are alcoholics to get more help.
There are calls for children in South Yorkshire whose parents are alcoholics to get more help.
A group of MPs, including Don Valley's Caroline Flint, whose mother was addicted to alcohol, are now campaigning for more to be done so kids have dedicated support.
She said:
"I do know what it's like when there is someone you love who's got an alchohol problem. It impacts you every single day.
"You're worried about who you can bring home from school, you're frightened about people finding out and more importantly, you see someone you love destroying themselves."
A new report estimates there are 2.5 million children whose mum or dad is addicted to booze, and yet no councils surveyed had specific plans in place to support them.
Josie Soutar, the Chief executive of Sheffield Alcohol Support Service, agrees that something needs doing:
"Unfortunately it can be a hidden problem, and very often we focus on the person with the alcohol problem, and sometimes forget there is a family, and particularly children around that.
"Having a parent with problems can have a really significant affect on young people in particular, they can end up taking on the carers roll"