Protecting children from substance harm means never leaving them in the sole care of an intoxicated adult, keeping alcohol, medicines and other substances out of their reach, keeping use away from children’s living areas, and giving each child of a user a steady sober adult, while supporting the family so that it is not simply broken up. Withdrawal in a caregiver and substance use by adolescents each need their own plan.
Child protection around substance use covers safety from intoxicated carers, from poisoning and from neglect, and support for young people at risk of beginning use.
Four Risks To Children
- Neglect or injury by an intoxicated carer. A drunk or sedated parent may not watch a toddler near fire or water, may fail to feed or wake the child, or may be violent.
- Poisoning. Small children swallow what is within reach. Alcohol, tablets, tobacco and improvised preparations can poison a young child quickly; alcohol can drop a small child’s blood sugar dangerously (from general paediatric teaching, from recollection).
- Withdrawal in a caregiver. A parent in withdrawal may be unable to care for the child, and a delirious adult may be frightening or dangerous; see Alcohol Withdrawal (Dangerous).
- Adolescent initiation. Early use is associated with later dependence, and young people watch the adults around them; see Why Addiction Increases After Collapse.
Rules
- An intoxicated adult does not have sole care of a child. This should be a firm community rule. Arrange cover in advance so that the rule can be kept without a crisis.
- Substances are stored out of reach and locked where children live or play.
- No use in children’s living areas or in front of young children.
- Age rules. The community decides the age below which substances are not allowed and enforces it for brewing, tobacco and other drugs. The parent guide says a threshold must exist and leaves the number to the community; I cannot give a reliable figure, since it is a social decision.
- Do not send children to fetch or serve drink.
Supporting The Family
Children of people with addiction do best with at least one stable, caring adult relationship, which may be a relative, neighbour or mentor (a robust theme in resilience research, from recollection). So:
- Name a sober adult for each affected child, with the child’s and the parent’s agreement where possible. The child needs someone to go to, a meal and a safe bed when things go wrong.
- Keep routines for the child: meals, bedtime, school time; see Child Development & Welfare After Collapse.
- Support the parent. Offer help with recovery and with childcare so that the family has a chance to hold together.
- Do not blame the child. Say plainly that the adult’s drinking or drug use is not the child’s fault.
- Do not make the child the carer for an incapacitated adult beyond what is safe.
- Do not shame the family publicly.
When To Intervene More Firmly
- A child is hungry, injured, repeatedly unsupervised or living with violence
- An adult is too impaired to care, repeatedly
- A child has swallowed a substance
- A caregiver is in dangerous withdrawal
A child who has taken a poison or an unknown substance, or who is very drowsy, needs urgent help. Place them in the recovery position if unconscious; see Recovery Position. For violence in the home, see Dealing with Violence. Removing a child from their parent is a serious step; use it when the child is in real danger, keep siblings together if possible, keep the link with the parent, and make the arrangement a community decision and not an individual’s.
Adolescents
Talk plainly and early, without scaring them with exaggerations. Give them real roles and company. Watch for secret use, and for use that is a response to grief or trauma; see Grief in Children. Treat what they do as a health matter first.
Common Mistakes
- Assuming children do not notice.
- Punishing the child for the adult’s behaviour.
- Leaving the intoxicated adult as the only carer “just tonight.”
- Overlooking household medicines.
- Removing a child without a plan for their care.
Poisoning and fire
A toddler can be poisoned by a mouthful of spirits or a few tablets, and an intoxicated carer near an open fire or water is a drowning and burn risk. Lock substances away and never leave a young child to an intoxicated adult.
What’s Next
- Learn next: Community Substance Policies — writing the protection into policy
- Combine with: Grief in Children — the loss many of these children carry