Neglect

Around 300,000 children in the UK have parents who misuse drugs. Many suffer from neglect as a result of this.

Matthew would rather spend time on the streets than watch his parents' daily battle with heroin addiction. For 8 years, Matthew has had to cope with this on his own. Now his local Barnardo's project is protecting him and giving him the opportunities every child deserves.

Barnardo's has 33 Projects that provide neglected children like Matthew with the counselling and support they so desperately need.

Could you give £5 a month, or as much as you can afford, to ensure our project workers are there for neglected children like Matthew?

Read Matthew's story.

Neglect and parental drug misuse - the issue

Parental drug misuse threatens children’s development even before birth, can contribute to neglect and abuse and is a risk to children throughout their lives.

At birth, drug misusing parents can find it harder to bond or provide consistent care for their baby; problems in the first months can have long term consequences. Children of drug misusing parents are more likely than their peers to miss health and dental checks, less likely to go to school and more likely to have emotional or behavioural problems. Teenagers are more likely to drink, smoke and take drugs and are at higher risk of school exclusion, emotional problems and offending.

Over the age of 15, they are more likely to have drug and alcohol misuse problems, become young parents and are at increased risk of suicide. Parenting is hard and we all need help sometimes. Problem drug users may love their children, but growing up with parental drug misuse can make children feel rejected, ashamed or angry. Some children simply feel their parents are never ‘there for them’.

Give neglected children like Matthew a new life today. Make a donation.

How Barnardo's projects help

87% of our projects come across cases of substance misuse in their work, much of which involves the misuse of drugs. Our expert staff work directly with children and families affected by parental drug misuse, providing counselling for children and parenting skills training for parents to help them provide their children with the support they need. We also offer parents practical support, helping them to attend drug clinics, manage their finances and helping them find activities and holiday playschemes for their children. Our projects also run educational and awareness raising programmes designed to prevent parents from falling into the trap of substance misuse.

Find out more about how Barnardo's help neglected children like Matthew.