News
Leading Scottish children's charities back minimum pricing
Wednesday 14 March 2012
The leading children’s charities in Scotland have united to support the Alcohol (Minimum Pricing) (Scotland) Bill and have also recommended the need for a campaign to raise awareness of parental alcohol mis-use and its impact on children with a view to changing attitudes and behaviour. They have written to all MSPs to ask them to consider their call.
The charities believe that too many children do not get the best start in life and lose out on their childhoods due to Scotland’s deep-seated issues with alcohol. Through their work with children, young people and their families they know that alcohol misuse can cause violence, neglect and abuse in families across Scotland.
Some of the children they work with are born bearing physical, emotional and developmental scars of alcohol misuse during pregnancy. The organisations work with many children and young people to address the trauma caused by living with parents who misuse alcohol. And they know that children growing up in such families are more likely to misuse alcohol themselves.
Anne Houston, Chief Executive of CHILDREN 1ST, said:
“At CHILDREN 1ST we believe that Scotland's problem with alcohol is negatively impacting far too many of our children. We are convinced that minimum pricing will assist in reducing alcohol consumption. But we also need to ensure we increase awareness of the impact of alcohol abuse on children.”
“We know that at least 80,000 children in Scotland are affected by their parents' harmful drinking, often putting their happiness, safety and welfare at risk. However despite this, we know that many parents receive little or no information and advice about how their alcohol consumption can affect their children.”
“Providing the right advice and help for parents before their child is born or whilst their child is still young, could have a major influence on changing their drinking habits.”
In the letter, the charities state that:
“A range of measures are needed to change this situation and create the cultural and generational shifts in attitude required regarding alcohol consumption. We agree with the Cabinet Secretary for Health that minimum pricing is not a silver bullet, but if it is set at an appropriate level, and applied as part of a wider Framework for Action, we should make a difference to the lives of many of Scotland’s vulnerable children.”
“That framework should include the implementation of the “social levy” to raise money for tackling the social costs of alcohol. Most importantly, our organisations have called for a social marketing campaign to change attitudes, particularly on the impact of parental alcohol misuse.”
The charities involved in the call are: CHILDREN 1ST, Aberlour Childcare Trust, Barnardo’s Scotland, Children in Scotland, Includem, NSPCC Scotland, Parenting Across Scotland, Quarriers and YWCA Scotland.
Ends
Notes to editors
A copy of the letter issued to all MSPs is below:
In its report on the Alcohol (Minimum Pricing) (Scotland) Bill, the Scottish Parliament’s Health & Sport Committee drew “particular attention to the issue of protecting children who may be growing up in a household where alcohol is being abused and the detrimental effect that this can have on their care, development and wellbeing”.
We welcome this acknowledgement. Currently, too many children do not get the best start in life and lose out on their childhoods due to Scotland’s deep-seated issues with alcohol. Alcohol misuse can cause violence, neglect and abuse in families of all kinds across Scotland, though we know it can be both a cause and consequence of poverty.
Some children we work with are born bearing physical, emotional and developmental scars of alcohol misuse during pregnancy. Our organisations work with many children and young people to address the trauma caused by living with parents who misuse alcohol. And we know that children growing up in such families are more likely to misuse alcohol themselves.
A range of measures are needed to change this situation and create the cultural and generational shifts in attitude required regarding alcohol consumption. We agree with the Cabinet Secretary for Health that minimum pricing is not a silver bullet, but if it is set at an appropriate level, and applied as part of a wider Framework for Action, we should make a difference to the lives of many of Scotland’s vulnerable children.
That framework should include the implementation of the “social levy” to raise money for tackling the social costs of alcohol. Most importantly, our organisations have called for a “social marketing” campaign to change attitudes, particularly on the impact of parental alcohol misuse.
Reduced alcohol consumption will create social value through savings on health, in crime reduction and increased productivity, as well as reduce harm to children and young people.
That is why our organisations support the Alcohol (Minimum Pricing) (Scotland) bill and it is why we have joined together to write this letter, telling others of our support. To date, the voices heard most loudly have been the small number opposed to minimum pricing.
Our organisations wish to redress this balance, make clear our support and ensure the voices of children and young people most affected by alcohol misuse are also heard and listened to.
Signatories
Anne Houston, Chief Executive, CHILDREN 1ST
Alex Cole-Hamilton, Head of Policy, Aberlour Childcare Trust
Sally Ann Kelly, Acting Director, Barnardo's Scotland
Marion Macleod, Senior Policy & Parliamentary Officer, Children in Scotland
Angela Morgan, Chief Executive, Includem
Matt Forde, National Head of Service, NSPCC Scotland
Clare Simpson, Project Manager, Parenting Across Scotland
Paul Moore, Chief Executive, Quarriers
Kim Smith, National Coordinator, YWCA Scotland
Last updated: Thursday 15 March 2012
