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Róisín Shortall TD, Minister of State with responsibility for Primary Care at the Department of Health, speaking at the opening of the National Advisory Committee on Drugs (NACD) seminar entitled A Family Affair? Supporting Children Living with Parental Substance Misuse.

Minister Shortall speaks of the degree to which substance use by parents can disrupt family relationships.

The seminar was held in Croke Park, Dublin, on October 18th 2011, and marked the launch of a new report by the NACD.

The report Parental Substance Misuse: Addressing its Impact on Children, was presented at the seminar, which was jointly hosted by the NACD, the Health Service Executive (HSE) and Alcohol Action Ireland, the national charity for alcohol-related issues.

The report reviewed all major international research on the impact of parental substance misuse on children and identified what steps can be taken in Ireland to reduce its impact.
NACD Director Joan O’Flynn said that there is a need for more integrated working between addiction services, children’s services and medical professionals to help reduce the negative impact of parental drug and alcohol misuse on children and the wider family.

View NACD press release

Download full report