County welcomes parents’ alcohol guide
Warwickshire County Council's portfolio holder for community safety has welcomed reports stating that parents should play a greater role in monitoring alcohol misuse among young people but stated that local authorities still have a major role to play in safeguarding communities against alcohol-fuelled anti-social behaviour.
Government plans will see parents of children who abuse alcohol and offend being required to take parenting courses and, in some cases, facing prosecution.
However, there is much work to be done to support parents and Councillor Richard Hobbs has pointed to the multi-faceted approach taken by the county council and its partners.
He pointed to the educational work done in schools as well as the community alcohol teams who address alcohol-related issues and said that a multi-faceted approach is the only way to turn the tide against unruly behaviour which is becoming a blight on many communities.
He said: "Obviously we welcome the news that parents are to be made more accountable for the behaviour of their children but it is not a fight that they can win on their own.
"The county council, its partners in the districts and boroughs and the Police are all doing our bit to join the fight."
The county has included drugs and alcohol messages in its healthy schools curriculum for every school in the county. Each year, this changes making the information and the guidance more relevant. Year 1 pupils, for example, receive very different messages from that received by year 5 pupils.
As well as teaching children the health risks of alcohol misuse, children are taught skills to help resist peer pressure and to avoid risky situations involving alcohol.
Trading standards officers work with Police to visit off licenses and shops to enforce the age limit on alcohol sales. Using volunteers under the age of 18, shops are tested against asking for identification if there is any doubt that the customer might be underage.
Selling alcohol to the minor results in penalty notices. Premises are targeted based on complaints or if they are situated in hotspots of anti-social behaviour among young people.
This work is hand in hand with similar work carried out by the district council whose responsibility as licensing authority for pubs and clubs sees them work alongside landlords to ensure that underage drinkers are not served. Police have dispersal powers where they can move people on if they are drinking in a public place.
The county’s Young Persons Substance Misuse Service commenced 32 treatments in northern Warwickshire - 20 treatments in Rugby - 31 treatments in south Warwickshire - during 2007/08 with alcohol featuring as the main drug or a secondary drug in 50% of the cases. All the young people were referred to counseling and other therapies.
Cllr Hobbs said: "Parents can act responsibly and police the use of alcohol in the home but cannot be with their children all of the time. But we feel that prevention is better than cure so work hard at keeping young people away from alcohol in the first place or, at the very least, teach them about its dangers from an early age.
"We aren’t killjoys. The work of the county’s youth service and our district partners clearly illustrates that we are determined to provide an environment in which young people can enjoy a range of activities without causing problems to their communities. However, there are good grounds for young people not being allowed to drink alcohol - for the sake of their health as well as community safety - and we will do all we can to enforce that."