Designing a self-directed family support intervention for parents/caregivers to aid conversation about parental substance use with children and young people

Purpose A total of 478,000 children in England are reported to live with a parent who uses substances. The presence of a stable non-substance using caregiver within the family has been found to be one protective factor for children (Velleman and Templeton, 2016), yet there is a lack of research examining how to intervene with non-substance using parents/caregivers. This study aims to co-produce an intervention for non-substance using parents/caregivers and their children. Design/methodology/approach This study had three phases: interviews with practitioners, exploring their perceptions of whom non-substance using parents/caregivers seek support from, the type of support needs they had and what influenced their decision-making; interviews with parents/caregivers to examine their support needs and experiences of help seeking; and co-production workshops with parents/caregivers and practitioners to discuss the findings and design of an intervention. Findings Parents/caregivers reported experiencing challenges in talking to their child(ren) about the other parent/caregiver’s substance use. They highlighted the importance of a structured intervention to support them to initiate conversations with children about how parental substance use impacted the child and wider family in a way that parents/caregivers felt was age-appropriate and sensitive and supported them in their caregiving role to children. Research limitations/implications A limitation of this study relates to the participation of parents/caregivers who were not in receipt of support services. Recruitment was predominantly via specialist carer support organisations, and although this often presented an opportunity to talk with parents/caregivers who were open to the idea of discussing parental substance use, the authors are mindful of the differing view that parents who were not in receipt of support may have expressed about the potential of an intervention. Practical implications This study highlights the often-overlooked impact of parental substance use on parents/caregivers who do not use substances and often manage dual roles as caregiver to a child and their partner/ex-partner or family member who uses substances. In particular, it seeks to emphasise the impact on parents/caregivers parenting and acknowledge the challenge of managing their own emotions whilst maintaining stability for the child. Social implications This research suggests characteristics of an intervention that could be used to support family relationships when talking to children about the impact of parental substance use. It attempts to create space for families to convey that it is ok for children to talk about how this impacts upon their lives. Originality/value There is a lack of research examining how to intervene with non-substance using parents or other caregivers to support them in their parent/caregiver role. This study suggests ways for parents/caregivers to provide emotional support to their child(ren) impacted by parental substance use.