NCJ Number
204938
Journal
Child Abuse Review Volume: 13 Issue: 1 Dated: January-February 2004 Pages: 18-30
Date Published
January 2004
Length
13 pages
Annotation
This study examined the scale, impact, and response to parental substance misuse in child care social work teams in an urban area of England.
Abstract
Parental substance misuse has been shown to be one of the most common problems associated with child abuse and/or neglect. Estimates from the United States indicate that 50 to 80 percent of all children known to the child welfare system have parents with substance misuse problems. However, parental substance misuse has been under-recognized within social work caseloads, which is unsurprising given that denial is a primary characteristic of addiction. Given the high incidence of parental substance misuse among child abuse and neglect cases, it is imperative that child protective agencies incorporate routine substance misuse evaluations and treatments. The current study was undertaken to determine the prevalence of parental substance misuse within the caseloads of urban child social workers and the typical response by these practitioners. A multi-method design was implemented in which a snapshot survey was conducted of all child care caseloads in the city; interviews were conducted with child care social workers; group interviews were conducted with parents in recovery; activity data were analyzed; and before and after data were analyzed. Results indicated 22 percent of child abuse cases involved a substantiated parental substance misuse problem and substance misuse was considered a major concern in over half the families. However, despite the concern, many social workers reported they did not know how to best support parents with substance misuse problems. In terms of parental response, most parents in the study were single mothers who expressed concerns about asking for help because of the potentially deleterious effect such an admission may have on their family. Finally, the results indicated that alcohol abuse was present in three-quarters of the cases and was present in half of the cases involving illicit drugs. The study findings have made it clear that child care social workers need more specialist support in both recognizing substance misuse problems and appropriately responding to them. References