Oral question asked in the House of Lords, by Lord Adebowale (Crossbench). It was answered by Lord Adonis (Labour) on Monday, 26 June 2006.

Children: Parental Alcohol Use

Question: What steps they are taking to ensure that the needs of children whose parents misuse alcohol are addressed.

Answer: My Lords, the National Alcohol Harm Reduction Strategy led by the Home Office aims to minimise the harm caused by alcohol, and it includes a work theme on young people and parents. The Children Act 2004 places on local authority children’s services departments a duty to protect children from significant harm, including harm from alcohol-misusing parents. We are also grateful for Turning Point’s recent report. Officials from my department look forward to discussing it with its authors in the next few weeks.

Secondary information