News
The Big Debate - Alcohol: changing people or policy?
Thursday 25 March 2010
This week saw CHILDREN 1ST host a major conference in Edinburgh to discuss tackling alcohol abuse and the way forward for limiting the impact it has on children and young people. Speakers included Anne Houston, Chief Executive of CHILDREN 1ST, Kenny MacAskill MSP, Cabinet Secretary for Justice, Richard Simpson MSP, Labour deputy spokesperson on health and wellbeing, and representatives from the Scottish Youth Commission, ChildLine, Children in Scotland and Scottish Children Reporters Administration (SCRA).
This timely conference was an opportunity to highlight the impact of alcohol on children and young people. Delegates and speakers debated the policy changes and supports that are needed to bring about positive changes to young peoples’ lives. The event also examined whether policies to reduce overall alcohol consumption, such as minimum pricing, are the best approach to reducing the negative impact of alcohol upon children’s lives.
Scotland has an endemic cultural problem with binge-drinking, which is having significant impact upon children & young people. CHILDREN 1ST believe that we need a whole population approach to change the social norms around binge-drinking.
Parental alcohol misuse is a major issue which should be a key focus of alcohol policy – and if we can get this right, children and young people will in turn drink less.
Speaking at the event, Anne Houston, Chief Executive of CHILDREN 1ST said:
"Scotland has a serious drink problem which is having a detrimental impact on too many of Scotland’s families, particularly children and young people. Much of this comes from parental alcohol misuse. We are not against alcohol or people enjoying a drink, but far too many children suffer as a result of parents being drunk and in charge of children. The Scottish Government needs to take action to address this problem through a strong national awareness campaign that challenges parents to think about the impact excessive drinking has on children."
“We have listened to the children and young people of Scotland who have told us of their experiences of being neglected, physically and mentally abused, not been properly cared for, and worrying about the health of their parents as a result of too much drinking."
"We need to support Scotland’s families in dealing with this problem, firstly by making parents’ aware of the impact drinking to excess can have on their children. Secondly, as the Alcohol Bill progresses through Parliament all of Scotland’s politicians need to take action and support policy solutions, including on price and availability, that can help reduce alcohol consumption. Finally, we must encourage a population wide shift in attitude through awareness and information."
You can view photographs from the event on our Flickr account here.
Last updated: Friday 9 April 2010
