My graduation thesis deals with the role of professionals from various areas (social work, education, non-government organizations) when recognizing distress of children from alcoholic families. It also explores what supporting systems are available to children during their possible suffering due to their parent’s alcoholism. In addition, the thesis includes multi-agency cooperation, preventative work and suggestions for better interventions for the children. The thesis also focuses on experiences of the children who are now adults and who were brought up by parents who had drinking problems. In the theoretical part of this thesis, different topics are presented, such as alcoholism in Slovenia, children whose parents are addicted to alcohol, recognising alcoholism in the family in relation to violence and methods of support. Within the main sections, there are further sub-topics. In the empirical part a qualitative research is presented. Data was collected within focus group of professionals, with individual interviews of professionals and interviews with adults who have experienced parent’s alcoholism when they were growing up. The research sample includes 19 people; 10 professionals with expertise working with children and adolescents and 9 people with parental alcoholism experience. In the empirical section, answers to the following research questions are presented as well: How professionals in primary schools identify children who may show signs that they have been brought up in a family with an alcoholic parent? How school’s counselling services, centres for social work and NGO’s work together to support that child? What are the experiences of adults with different forms of support which they received in childhood, due to alcoholism of their parents? Where do the adults who experienced alcoholism in childhood, professionals in schools and social workers in centres for social work and NGO see possibilities for change and better joint working and prevention in the society?
This research confirms that the role of the school counselling service is crucial to identifying those children who need support and initial interventions. Centres for social work are crucial when it comes to follow up treatment for the whole family. I found out that quite often alcoholism in families is accepted as something normal, distress of the children is overlooked and not addressed. In the future, professionals and people who experience alcoholism are hoping for people to take alcoholism more seriously, strive for a holistic approach to treatment and prevention. Furthermore, they wish for destigmatisation of people with alcohol problem and children who need support.
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