This toolkit has its origins in one of the recommendations from The Siblings Local Child Safeguarding Practice Review (LCSPR):
Recommendation 5: The Pan-Dorset Safeguarding Children Partnership (PDSCP) has developed tools to help professionals work in the complex area of child and adolescent neglect. These tools have been found, in this and other reviews, not to have been used. This is a common finding in Serious Case Reviews and Child Safeguarding Practice Reviews across the country. It is recommended that a piece of work is undertaken to understand how these tools are working in practice and to consider any barriers professionals are facing. This work will need to consider the extent to which tools and frameworks help to improve the multi-agency response to child and adolescent neglect.
Responding to this finding, the PDSCP recognised that:
- Parents’ misuse of drugs or alcohol was frequently a factor in the neglect of their children, and that practitioners needed a toolkit to help them identify and respond to such misuse, and
- The toolkit should be developed in a way that engaged practitioners, and reflected both their expertise and the recurring practice issues that they face.
PDSCP is also implementing a workstream to ensure that use of this and other toolkits is measured and reported, so that assurance can be given to the PDSCP Executive.
See the contents page here for links to all of the sections of the toolkit.
The toolkit has been written from a restorative perspective. Its authors recognise that parental misuse of drugs or alcohol does not always create the risk of harm for the child; and even where it does, good safeguarding practice may help to mitigate the risk. Removing children from the family setting to protect them from the consequences of their parents’ drug and alcohol misuse is a last resort – though sometimes a necessary one.
Brief definitions
This toolkit is about working with parents who misuse drugs or alcohol. For the purpose of this toolkit, misuse of drugs or alcohol means any use of these substances that adversely affects the parents’ health or ability to carry out daily tasks, and in particular their ability to parent.
Addiction to drugs or alcohol means that an individual is physically and/or psychologically dependent on one or both of these substances; if they cannot access them, they will experience withdrawal symptoms.
A parent may misuse alcohol or drugs, and pose a risk of harm to their child, whether or not they are addicted. A parent may be addicted to drink or drugs without necessarily causing significant harm to their child, although the risks of them doing so will be higher.
Help us develop this toolkit
The toolkit is being launched as a pilot. We want it to develop and improve as a result of the comments, contributions and suggestions of practitioners from all our partner agencies. Please add your thoughts by:
- Completing the feedback form
- Attending one of our virtual launch events on the following dates:
02/11/2023 10:00-11:30
09/11/2023 10:00-11:30
13/11/2023 11:00-12:30
If you would like to attend one of the above sessions, please email pan-dorsetscp@dorsetcouncil.gov.uk who will be able to send you the invite.
- Emailing your comments to pan-dorsetscp@dorsetcouncil.gov.uk or pandorsetsafeguardingchildrenpartnership@bcpcouncil.gov.uk
We look forward to hearing from you.
The toolkit has been designed to be used as a mobile, web-based resource. There are links to each section of the toolkit on the right hand-side of the screen, so that you can easily move from one to another. There is also a link at the bottom of each section which will take you to the next section. You can easily retrieve the toolkit on your mobile phone if you scan the following QR code and bookmark the web address:
