New support to help children living with alcohol-dependent parents

New plans announced today by Health and Social Care Secretary Jeremy Hunt will help identify at-risk children more quickly, and provide them with rapid access to support and advice.

The package of measures is backed by £6 million in joint funding from the Department of Health and Social Care and the Department for Work and Pensions. It is designed to help an estimated 200,000 children in England living with alcohol-dependent parents.

The measures include:

• fast access to support and mental health services for children and their families where there is a dependent drinker

• quicker identification of at-risk children, including those undertaking inappropriate care responsibilities

• the provision of outreach programmes to get more parents successfully through addiction treatment

• early intervention programmes to reduce the numbers of children needing to go into care

Local authorities will be invited to bid for funding by coming up with innovative solutions based on local need, with priority given to areas where more children are affected. Public Health England will be responsible for working with the funded areas to monitor progress.