Barriers to early discovery of alcohol problems in families with young children

The report examines the barriers preventing e.g. teachers, school teachers, health visitors, midwives and general practitioners from identifying children in families with alcohol problems much earlier and more frequently. Alcohol problems are a complex issue, with many grey areas which employees often have to face alone. As no limits have been stipulated for when the alcohol abuse of parents is problematic, and when front-line personnel should intervene, it is mainly up to the personnel to assess when and how to react. Many employees find it difficult to make this assessment. In society, alcohol abuse is generally perceived as a private matter, and therefore it can be difficult for front-line personnel to ask about it. Another important barrier is that many front-line personnel are not professionally equipped to discover alcohol problems, as they do not know the specific signs of alcohol problems in the home. The barriers become most clear when socio-economically advantaged parents drink too much. The report includes a number of recommendations for how early detection of alcohol problems in families can be improved. The report was initiated by the Health and Care Administration under the City of Copenhagen.