CYP Now - What Works?: Comment -- Christine Davies CBE, director, C4EO (2)

Children's safety, wellbeing and achievements are closely linked to the quality of their relationships with parents and carers. These relationships can be affected when parents or carers have health problems or relationship difficulties.

There are an estimated 150,000 young carers in the UK. Thirty per cent are believed to be caring for adults with mental health needs. Between 200,000 to 300,000 children and young people are thought to be living with a parent whose drug use is problematic, with 1.4 million living with at least one parent who drinks excessively.

Often, parents and carers need advice and emotional support, which can be provided without referral to specialist services. Other types of support include counselling, parenting skills training and financial support.

However, the fear of stigmatisation has proved a strong deterrent to the take-up of these services, with children suffering as a result. The fear of seeking help is a real challenge for services and agencies, so C4EO has published three research reviews to help those working in this field.

Register Now to Continue Reading

Thank you for visiting Children & Young People Now and making use of our archive of more than 60,000 expert features, topics hubs, case studies and policy updates. Why not register today and enjoy the following great benefits:

What's Included