Young people's views on services to help them deal with parental substance misuse

Aim: Services for children of parental substance misusers are in their infancy. There is a dearth of research which has heard from children about how they view and benefit from such services. The aim of this article is to present qualitative data from children and young people who have attended three new family-focused services.

Methods: As part of the evaluations of three new services for children and families of parental substance misusers, interviews were conducted with young people. Qualitative interview data from 23 young people were thematically analysed.

Findings: Young people benefitted through meeting other people and having an opportunity to talk and share experiences, learning about addiction and understanding and controlling their emotions. Their families became safer, healthier and more cohesive.

Conclusions: Children living with parental substance misuse need specific support; all three services are excellent examples of service development in this area.