There are virtually no services that specifically respond to children who are living with both parental alcohol misuse and parental violence and aggression. However, there are some examples of services and interventions which respond primarily to one or the other issue and hence, because of the common co-existence of both issues, will respond to (on their own or along with other services) other presenting problems.

Examples of some services in England and the UK which are working in this way include the Family Alcohol Service in London and Addaction’s Breaking the Cycle Project as well as DASL (Drug Alcohol Services London).

›› Find out more about services from the UK page on parental alcohol misuse

In England, the Stella Project (formed in 2002 as a partnership between the Greater London Domestic Violence Project [GLDVP] and the Greater London Alcohol and Drugs Alliance [GLADA]) aims to support domestic violence and substance misuse agencies to address the dual issues through training, events and consultancy to assist in the development of good practice procedures and policies, through training, conferences and development of policy and procedural good practice.

A Toolkit and other materials have been produced to focus and guide the work; the second edition of the Toolkit was published in 2007 and includes a specific section entitled, ‘Supporting children living with parental substance misuse and domestic violence’. As the only project of its kind in the UK (and Europe) the Stella Project has been successful in initiating dialogue between sectors which traditionally did not work together and enabled the development of both integrated and collaborative services with the ultimate aim of making vulnerable women (and their children) safer. It is therefore an excellent resource in terms of supporting the nature of partnership working that can benefit professionals and, ultimately, the children and families who they are aiming to help.

The Welsh Substance Misuse Strategy 2008-2018 makes clear research, practice and policy links between substance misuse and domestic violence (pages 35 and 38-39).

Other useful guidance includes:

• Refining the Routes: Domestic Violence and Substance Misuse: Policies, Procedures and Protocols for Partnership Work in Camden (Borough in North London). But, little attention to children specifically.
• A new GP Toolkit to provide clear guidance on identification and appropriate referral to safeguard children at risk. Given the high numbers of children affected by parental alcohol misuse and/or parental domestic abuse, this Toolkit is of relevance.