Reducing harm to the children of problem drug users should be a main objective of official drugs strategies, says an official report.

Up to 350,000 children in the UK are being harmed by their parents’ drug use, says the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs.

The report, Hidden Harm, estimates that between 250,000 and 350,000 children have at least one parent with a serious drug problem and that parental problem drug use is causing serious harm to children at every age from conception to adulthood.

The Children’s National Service Framework and its Scottish and Welsh equivalents should identify the children of problem drug users as a large group with special needs that require specific actions by health, education and social services. All drug action teams should also ensure that supporting and protecting users’ children is an essential part of their strategy.

Drug use during pregnancy can seriously affect the development of the baby, and after birth the child may be exposed to many hazards including poverty, physical and emotional abuse or neglect, dangerously inadequate supervision, separation, poor accommodation and frequent moves, exposure to criminal activity, and social isolation.

More than a third of children whose mothers had a serious drug problem, were separated from them - mostly living with a relative.

www.homeoffice.gov.uk/docs2/hiddenharmsummary.pdf