[summary] Manifesto for ‘children of alcoholics’: challenges for policy & stigma? | Alcohol Policy

Alcohol Policy UK, which provides analysis of alcohol policy, published a critique of the recent Manifesto for Change for children of alcoholics from the All-Party Parliamentary Group on the issue. Its key points are:

• Many organisations may have front-line staff trained to making early alcohol interventions, but recognising where alcohol may be an issue for a child’s well-being early may be difficult.
• The manifesto describes a ‘shocking picture of support’, highlighting that none of the 138 councils which responded to its survey had a specific child of alcoholics strategy. But they do typically have alcohol strategies covering a range of actions, including ambitions to deliver coordinated activity to reduce the harms to children and young people.
• Other manifesto actions may be considered of varying effectiveness with educational approaches typically seen as ineffective compared too increasing the price and reducing the availability of alcohol.
• The use of the term ‘alcoholics’ in the manifesto is questionable because it can potentially stigmatise people and because it may not be thought to include at-risk drinkers. The use may be because there is no ‘everyday’ term to cover all alcohol problems.

Source: www.alcoholpolicy.net/2017/02/manifesto-children-alcoholics-policy-stigma.html