Written question asked by Stephen Hesford (Labour) on Tuesday, 1 July 2008, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Thursday, 3 July 2008. It was answered by Baroness Hughes of Stretford (Labour) on Wednesday, 9 July 2008 on behalf of the Department for Children, Schools and Families.

Alcoholic Drinks: Misuse

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what research his Department has (a) commissioned and (b) evaluated on alcohol dependency problems in different generations of one family; and what assessment he has made of means of reducing the likelihood of children of alcohol abusers themselves becoming alcohol abusers.

Answer: A cross-Government group commissioned a systematic review of the impact of parental substance misuse which included alcohol from National Collaborating Centre for Drug Prevention (2006). From this evidence we know that parental alcohol misuse can seriously affect parenting capacity and has negative impacts on children's life chances. Not only does it increases health risks to the unborn child during pregnancy it raises risk of poor educational attainment, offending behaviour, substance misuse and emotional problems in later life.This is why my Department is investing in targeted interventions for families at risk, which will reduce, over the long term, the number of young people at increased risk of—among others—misusing alcohol. These initiatives include intensive support services to reach the most chaotic families through the Family Interventions Project; and Family Pathfinders to develop local systems and services that improve outcomes for families at risk.These family based interventions will be evaluated to assess if they are improving outcomes and reducing the risks with those affected by alcohol-misusing parents.

Secondary information