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Five-point plan for alcohol-free childhood

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH News Release issued by COI News Distribution Service. 29 January 2009

For the first time, young people and their parents will have clear medical guidance on alcohol consumption. The guidance, will be announced today by Chief Medical Officer, Sir Liam Donaldson, to be published for consultation. It will recommend that young people up to the age of 15 should avoid alcohol altogether.

The five-point guidance document will form part of a consultation on alcohol and young people launched by Children Schools and Families Secretary, Ed Balls, Health Secretary, Alan Johnson, and the Chief Medical Officer, Sir Liam Donaldson.

The guidance was a commitment in the Youth Alcohol Action Plan, launched in June last year and responds to calls from parents for clear messages on the health effects and risks of young people drinking alcohol.

The Chief Medical Officer's Guidance on the Consumption of Alcohol by Children and Young People advises:

1. an alcohol-free childhood is the healthiest and best option - if children drink alcohol, it shouldn't be before they reach 15 years old;

2. for those aged 15 - 17 years old all alcohol consumption should always be with the guidance of a parent or carer or in a supervised environment;

3. parents and young people should be aware that drinking, even at age 15 or older, can be hazardous to health and not drinking is the healthiest option for young people. If children aged 15 - 17 consume alcohol the should do so infrequently and certainly on no more than one day a week;

4. the importance of parental influences on children's alcohol use should be communicated to parents, carers and professionals. Parents and carers need advice on how to respond to alcohol use and misuse by children;

5. support services must be available for children and young people who have alcohol related problems and their parents

Sir Liam Donaldson, the Chief Medical Officer for England, led the development of the guidance, following extensive research and work with a panel of experts who reviewed the latest available medical evidence and data from across the UK on the impact of alcohol and young people.

Sir Liam Donaldson, the Chief Medical Officer for England, said:

"This guidance aims to support parents, give them the confidence to set boundaries and to help them engage with young people about drinking and risks associated with it.

"More than 10,000 children end up in hospital every year due to drinking and research tells us that 15 per cent of young people think it is normal to get drunk at least once a week. They are putting themselves at risk of harm to the liver, depression and damage to the developing brain. Resulting social issues can lead to children and young people doing less well at school and struggling to interact with friends and family."

Children, Schools and Families Secretary, Ed Balls, said:

"Parents have told us that they lack the health information and advice they need to make decisions about whether or how their children should be introduced to alcohol. So I hope the Chief Medical Officer's advice will help them with the tricky task of deciding the best way of doing that.

"We want this advice and information to be a success and really help families. That's why we're asking young people, parents and all those interested for their views. I think all of us as parents need to look at this advice, see whether it's right for us and ask whether we are doing the best thing for our children.

"Alcohol is a part of our national culture and if managed responsibly can have a positive influence in social circumstances. However when it is not managed responsibly it can cause real problems.

"That's why the Chief Medical Officer's guidance is important and why it is vital that we now discuss it in detail with parents and young people.. We hope that it will help parents to set realistic boundaries for their children and help them to introduce alcohol to young people in a safe and sensible way as they get older."

Alan Johnson, Secretary of State for Health said:

"The decision about when young people should first drink alcohol is clearly best taken by their parents or carers. But we know that parents want more information about the harms associated with drinking to help them make this decision. Government has a responsibility to provide straightforward information and guidance, which is exactly what we are doing."

Home Office Minister Alan Campbell said:

"Young people who drink too much put their own health at risk, and are more likely to get involved in antisocial behaviour and crime.

"As part of the Youth Alcohol Action Plan the Government is working in partnership with parents, industry, police and communities to tackle underage drinking which damages community safety and the health of young people.

"This includes giving police the powers to disperse under 18s who are drinking and behaving anti-socially from any location and cracking down on irresponsible retailers who persistently sell alcohol to those under 18."

The consultation will run for 12 weeks and will seek the views of young people, carers, parents and other interested parties.

Notes to editors

1. The following individuals made up the expert panel:

* Professor Mark Bellis
* Professor Illana Crome
* Professor Ian Gilmore
* Dr Eilish Gilvarry
* Professor Matthew Hickman
* Dr Anne Lingford-Hughes
* Professor Sir Michael Rutter
* Dr Rachel Seabrook
* Lorna Templeton
* Dr Russell Viner

2. The Government advises that:

* Adult women should not regularly drink more than 2-3 units of alcohol a day

* Adult men should not regularly drink more than 3-4 units of alcohol a day

* Pregnant women or women trying to conceive should avoid drinking alcohol. If they do choose to drink, to protect the baby they should not drink more than 1-2 units of alcohol once or twice a week and should not get drunk.

3. The Alcohol Strategy 'Safe. Sensible. Social.' (June 2007) identified young people as one of 3 key priority groups. Actions set out in the strategy included:

* Review efforts to reduce underage sales;

* Convene an Expert Panel to review evidence and develop guidance for parents and young people; and

* Develop a social marketing campaign focusing on young people and alcohol.

* The Youth Alcohol Action Plan (June 2008) set out what the Government will do to address drinking by young people in three main ways:

- Working with police and the courts to make it clear that unsupervised drinking by young people under-18 in public places is unacceptable;

- Recognising that drinking by young people in the home is clearly the responsibility of parents and families, but providing clearer health information for parents and young people about how consumption of alcohol can affect children and young people. The Action Plan announced that the Chief Medical Officer, Sir Liam Donaldson will produce clear guidance for families; and

- Working with the alcohol industry to continue the good progress made to reduce the sale of alcohol to under-18s but also in marketing and promoting alcohol in a more responsible way.

4. Government has played an important role so far to tackle dangerous drinking by children and young people by:

* Introducing new legislation to make it an offence for under -18's to persistently possess alcohol in public places

* Taking action with industry through mandatory Alcohol Social Responsibility Standards

* And cracking down on shops who sell alcohol to those underage, which means that any seller caught twice selling to under-age drinkers could face prosecution

Stakeholder Support for Consultation on Children, Young People and Alcohol

"Drinking among young people is a major concern for parents, many of whom have previously had no clear guidance on how to approach what can be a sensitive issue. We support the Chief Medical Officer's guidelines and hope that the information will now enable parents to be better informed about the health risks under 18s face when drinking. The guidelines will especially help parents who want to establish clear boundaries with their children and clarify that drinking above these guidelines carries increased health risks "

Don Shenker, Chief Executive, Alcohol Concern

"This consultation presents a unique opportunity to have a sensible public debate about the issues surrounding youth and alcohol. It is clear that we must urgently address the harm that young people, families and the community experience as a result of youth drinking and alcohol misuse and encourage parents and carers to think about and eventually change their own drinking behaviour. It is also time for a much more holistic approach to tackling young people's alcohol consumption that brings together education, treatment and enforcement and public awareness of the potentially harmful long-term implications of heavy drinking during adolescence."

Professor Ian Gilmore, Chair of the Alcohol Health Alliance and RCP President

"Adfam is often contacted by parents worried about their children's drinking, with a lot of their concerns stemming from uncertainty about how much is 'too much' and how to approach young people in an effective way. We therefore welcome the release of clear government guidelines on young people's drinking, which we hope will counter some of the doubts that parents experience when tackling the issue with their children. The family environment clearly has a key role in determining drinking habits so we are pleased to see that parents will be heavily involved in the consultation process."

Viv Evans, Chief Executive, Adfam

"Drinkaware welcomes the Government giving increased attention to the issues facing young people and families as they consider alcohol use. Evidence underlines the importance of parental figures in establishing young people's attitudes to drinking.

The alcohol culture is a pivotal issue of our time and it is essential that information is made available to all people in order that they can make informed choices about their lives and lifestyles. Drinkaware exists to provide accurate, independent and evidenced-based information about alcohol to everyone - whatever their life-stage."

Drinkaware Trust

"The Institute of Alcohol Studies welcomes these new guidelines recommending that children should not start to drink alcohol before the age of 15 and emphasising the importance of parental influence on young people's drinking. We know of no evidence supporting the idea that introducing alcohol to children or young teenagers can protect them against dangerous drinking habits, whereas there is a considerable body of research showing a link between starting to drink at a young age and problems with alcohol in later life. Additionally, young people need to be aware of the risks of drunkenness. Some of the dangers are far worse than vomiting and waking up on a friend's sofa."

Dr. Rachel Seabrook, Institute of Alcohol Studies & Member of DCSF Alcohol Expert Panel

"Comic Relief welcomes the DCSF consultation and hopes it will provide an opportunity for genuine engagement with the alcohol sector and young people and their families, reflecting the real experience of young people and alcohol and help ensure future guidance on this difficult issue is clear and practical. " Peter Argall, UK Grant Manager, Comic Relief

"Addaction welcomes the Guidance on Young People and Alcohol as a positive step forward. By providing clear guidance to parents and young people on how to be safe and responsible, it gives families a good foundation on which to make decisions about their attitudes and behaviours in relation to alcohol use."

Addaction

"Mentor UK is delighted to support the DCSFs public consultation with regards the Guidance on Young People and Alcohol. As the leading drugs prevention charity working with children and young people, we're particularly pleased that the consultation process will offer a wide range of young people an opportunity to make their voices heard along with the views of parents/carers and other key stakeholders. Research shows that good parenting is a key protective factor for young people but that parents/carers themselves sometimes require greater support when talking to young people about issues around alcohol. This consultation document gives parents/carers that important support by offering practical guidance in setting boundaries and discussing alcohol with young people. Crucially as well, the consultation process recognises the fact that parents/carers have a vital contribution to make too in the fight to prevent our young people from misusing alcohol - both now and in their future lives. Therefore the opportunity the consultation process gives for parents/carers to debate and offer their input will be vital in helping shape the final direction of the Guidance. Mentor UK therefore thoroughly commends this initiative."

Eric Carlin, Chief Executive, Mentor UK

'NCB warmly welcomes this new guidance on alcohol and young people for parents, carers and young people. Government has taken a bold step in setting some 'age and stage' parameters for alcohol use in childhood and teenage years. We hope it will provide the clarity and support both children, young people and parents need to effectively discuss and manage alcohol use. Evidence about the early years shows that early exposure to disease and health problems affects young children's long term outcomes. So this guidance is important not only for the young people themselves but also for the children of young parents.

We are particularly pleased that Government is seeking to actively engage young people and parents in the public consultation, it is important that their views are heard and inform the content of the guidance so it best meets their needs'.

Jo Butcher, Assistant Director - Well-being, National Children's Bureau