Parental alcohol use and resilience in young people: A study of family, peer and school processes

Funded by HSC R&D Division, Public Health Agency Parental alcohol misuse or ‘hidden harm’ presents a very significant challenge to public health policy and practice in the UK and internationally. A parent’s alcohol problems can have a profound impact on their children. Children depend on their family to meet their physical, psychological and social needs, their economic security and well-being, all of which can be jeopardised by parents misusing substances (NACD, 2011). The prevalence of parental alcohol misuse is extremely difficult to estimate, due to the ‘hidden’ nature of the problem within the family unit. Approximately 40,000 children in Northern Ireland are estimated to live with parental alcohol misuse (DHSSPS, 2008). In the UK, 30% of children (3.3 to 3.5 million) under 16 years, live with at least one binge drinking parent and 22% of children (2.6. million) with a hazardous drinker (Manning et al., 2009).  

Tackling Fuel Poverty can Improve Health, but needs Resources

Fuel poverty is a significant threat to public health with its links to heart disease, respiratory illness and mental health. People on low incomes are most likely to live in fuel poverty. The Fuel Poverty Strategy, which was launched 23 November, 2004, needed to be adequately resourced to help reduce the devastating effects of health inequalities in our society, according to the Institute of Public Health in Ireland. The Institute of Public Health recently completed research which showed that locally based projects are an effective way of improving the energy efficiency of homes. The findings from the research conducted by the Institute of Public Health showed that local fuel poverty interventions can reduce fuel poverty and improve health: - The energy efficiency of homes were significantly improved - There was a statistically significant increase in levels of benefit uptake - People reported spending less on fuel after intervention - There were significant reductions in the presence of condensation, mould and damp, which is where we have the strongest evidence of links to ill-health - There was a significant reduction in the number of illnesses (associated with fuel poverty) reported by those who received the heating conversion and insulation - People reported reductions in the use of health services after intervention

Community Education Needs to be Supported by Strong Public Policy to Tackle Food Poverty

Community education needs to be supported by strong public policy if it is to be fully effective at tackling food poverty and obesity, a project evaluation by the Institute of Public Health in Ireland (IPH) has found. In its evaluation of Decent Food for All (DFfA) - a major project to improve community diet and health - IPH found that where people live and shop had a greater impact on their diet than their own individual awareness and attitudes. Access Tackling Food Poverty: lessons from the Decent Food for All intervention at www.publichealth.ie DFfA was funded by safefood (the Food Safety Promotion Board) and the Food Standards Agency Northern Ireland. The project lasted four years and included hundreds of community education activities designed to improve diet in poorer parts of Armagh and South Tyrone. safefood commissioned IPH to undertake the evaluation of DFfA. Dr. Kevin Balanda, IPH Associate Director, said 'The aim of the project was to reduce food poverty (this is defined as not being able to consume adequate healthy food) and improve health in the target communities. DFfA delivered over 370 core activities to 3,100 residents including local education talks on diet, cookery workshops, fresh fruit in schools, healthy food tastings and information stands. One in eight residents in the target areas participated in at least one of these activities.' The evaluation found that over 1 in 5 adults in the target areas reported they had cut their weekly food spending in the last six months to pay other household bills such as rent, electricity and gas. During the four years of the DFfA activities, this percentage had not changed significantly. There were mixed changes in the nature of food in local stores. While the overall availability and price of food increased, both ﾓhealthierﾔ food and ﾓunhealthierﾔ food were included in that increase. It was only in the larger ﾓmultiple/discount freezerﾔ type of shops that the overall price of food had decreased.

Residential Family Centres Standards

This document sets out the minimum standards which providers of Residential Family Centre services are expected to meet.

Appendices for Complex Needs - The Nursing Response to Children and Young People with Complex Physical Healthcare Needs (PDF 708 KB)

Appendices to Complex Needs Report

Complex Needs - The Nursing Response to Children and Young People with Complex Physical Healthcare Needs (PDF 832 KB)

Departmental review of nursing services in order to ensure that they are facilitated to fully support and respond to children with complex needs and their families, and for them to work in partnership with other professions and agencies.

Family Friendly Guide - May 2007 (PDF 550 KB)

Provides Details of Family Friendly Policies for Staff With Caring Responsibilities

Adopting the Future Consultation response document (MS Word 290 KB)

While for most children the best place to grow up is with their birth parents, others are unable to do so. Under the Children (Northern Ireland) Order 1995, the first duty of Health and Social Services Trusts, where children cannot live with their birth parents, is to seek a home for them with their extended famly. Finding a safe and caring new home for children with their wider family or friends allows them to keep important attachments and connections in their lives, and is therefore the preferred choice where it is possible. Where this is not possible, society has a clear responsibility to provide children with stability and permanence in their lives. Some children are placed in alternative forms of care. Adoption is traditionally a means of providing a permanent family for a small, but significant number of children who are unable to return to their birth parents. Adoption is, however, much wider than just the service provided to children. Adoption affects birth parents, prospective adopters, adoptive parents, siblings, grandparents and other relatives. The Department of Health Social Services and Public Safety believes that more can and should be done to reflect the complex needs of those affected by adoption. åÊ

Nursing Needs Assessment Tool (PDF 255 KB)

This assessment tool is designed to assess the registered nursing needs of an older person needing long-term care.

Nursing Needs Assessment Tool User Guide 2006 (PDF 207 KB)

The user guide describes how to undertake an assessment using the nursing needs assessment tool.

Adopting the Future (PDF 865 KB)

While for most children the best place to grow up is with their birth parents, others are unable to do so. Under the Children (Northern Ireland) Order 1995, the first duty of Health and Social Services Trusts, where children cannot live with their birth parents, is to seek a home for them with their extended famly. Finding a safe and caring new home for children with their wider family or friends allows them to keep important attachments and connections in their lives, and is therefore the preferred choice where it is possible. Where this is not possible, society has a clear responsibility to provide children with stability and permanence in their lives. Some children are placed in alternative forms of care. Adoption is traditionally a means of providing a permanent family for a small, but significant number of children who are unable to return to their birth parents. Adoption is, however, much wider than just the service provided to children. Adoption affects birth parents, prospective adopters, adoptive parents, siblings, grandparents and other relatives. The Department of Health Social Services and Public Safety believes that more can and should be done to reflect the complex needs of those affected by adoption. åÊ