Youngsters affected by drug use

Staff at Stars help children whose parents use drugs

An estimated 4,000 children in Nottingham have parents who use heroin or crack, according to a research project.

Radford-based Stars, which works with children affected by their parents drug abuse, said it was seeing children as young as three affected by the problem.

About 45% of the youngsters involved were also being exposed to domestic violence, it said.

Programme manager, Jo Manning, said many children were living in fear.

She said: "Houses can used for using drugs, it can be used for dealing drugs, so that puts children at risk.

"Their parents may be owing money to a dealer so there's physical violence, they have to keep it a secret.

"They're fearful of losing their parents, either that they're going to become seriously ill or that they're going to go to prison and then they, as children, will be removed into the care of social services."

It said around 1.2 million children in the UK live with a parent or carer who uses drugs.

Advertisement

A Nottingham-based charity is trying to help some of the youngsters who are affected