The UK charity National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC) has published an evaluation of the Family Environment: Drug Using Parents (FEDUP) service which supported children whose parents have a drug or alcohol problem. Findings from the evaluation of the experiences of 59 parents and 253 children who took part in the programme between 2011 and 2015 include a small but statistically significant improvement in children’s emotional and behavioural wellbeing, and in their self-esteem and ability to process their thoughts and feelings. Implications include family-oriented program design (i.e. group and individual work with children and parents), involving a wide range of referring agencies, leveraging the opportunity afforded by assessment to commence relationship-building and change, and that parental engagement is key to improving outcomes for children. Read the report.
