This guidance has been developed for practitioners in Newcastle working with children and families and/or adults who have care of children where substance misuse is a factor, which affects their lives. It has been produced in response to the increasing problem of substance misuse and particularly the rising number of children who are referred into the child protection arena due to parental substance misuse.
The guidance aims to provide practitioners with information about the issue of substance misuse and how this may impact upon an individual’s ability to care for a child. The guidance is intended as a risk management tool for professionals, directing them in their practice when assessing if, or how a parent or carer misusing substances is affecting a child.