Substance misuse can impact on the capacity of parents to parent effectively. Fortunately, the number of people with serious drug problems is small, although these problems can have a big impact on individuals, their families and the wider community. Health visitors play a crucial role in identifying and addressing parental substance misuse by supporting the health and wellbeing of babies, children and families. Health visitors are ideally placed to identify risk through home visits and assessments, and to make referrals that safeguard children from harm. They provide non-judgmental advice and can form part of multi-agency support, while ensuring that the child’s needs remain central to care planning.
iHV Resources
📃 Good Practice Points and Parent Tips
Developed in collaboration with topic experts, health visitors, and other professionals, our resources draw on the latest available evidence at the time of publication. Each resource is produced through a robust quality assurance process and peer reviewed to ensure accuracy, relevance, and strong alignment with health visiting practice.
