AN ESTIMATED 1,800 children in East Lothian are living with a parent with a drink problem, according to the county’s social work boss.

Alcohol abuse has become an increasing concern for health and social care officials, who said they saw nearly 200 new cases of people seeking help during the last year alone.

Fiona Duncan, chief social work officer, said the issues which came with misuse were a growing problem.

And she revealed that her department was closely monitoring the impact of minimum pricing of alcohol on families who might have someone with an addiction.

In a report presented to East Lothian Council on Tuesday, she said: “Alcohol use and the subsequent issues that can arise from problematic use is an increasing concern within East Lothian.

“Treatment services reported 189 new service users with support needs related to alcohol during this financial year.

“It is estimated that there are some 1,800 children living with a parent who has some form of problematic alcohol use.”

Councillor Lachlan Bruce asked Ms Duncan if social workers had experienced any issues after the minimum alcohol prices were introduced, making it more expensive to buy some drinks.

He asked: “Is minimum pricing having a noticeable effect, for example with school uniforms or food not being bought?”

Ms Duncan responded: “It is too early to tell but it is something we are very aware of.

“Alcohol pricing will have an impact on those with less money and we are keeping a very close eye on it.”

Dr Richard Piper, chief executive of Alcohol Concern/Alcohol Research UK, said the impact on children could be “immensely damaging”.

He said “It is critical to remember that most people struggling with alcohol are as committed, loving and concerned as any parent. But dependent drinking can be immensely damaging for families, and children are often the hardest hit.

“Compared to other children, those with alcohol-dependent parents are twice as likely to experience difficulties at school, three times more likely to consider suicide and four times more likely to become dependent drinkers themselves.

“These children need support – but so do their parents. Funding for alcohol treatment has been decreasing, leaving many people with nowhere to turn. With better access to high-quality alcohol support, life would improve for children and parents alike.”

East Lothian MSP Iain Gray said: “This is a worrying statistic. Living in a family affected by alcohol misuse, is recognised as an ‘adverse childhood experience’ which can contribute to a wide range of problems in later life. It is one of those issues which can remain hidden from view and which can affect families from any sector of society.

“These numbers just underline how important it is that we support services and organisations working with those trying to address their dependency on alcohol, as well as encouraging anyone we know who may need help to look for it.”

The report also revealed that the number of children on the Child Protection Register rose by just over 50 per cent over the last year to the highest on record, but said part of the rise could be put down to siblings from the same family being added to a register but also warned that a ‘significant’ number – one in three – were babies or under the age of 12 months.

Children’s Services reported having 881 cases allocated to them at the end of March, equivalent to one in every 26 children in the county being on their files.

There were an average of 55 referrals made every week, mainly from police, with Musselburgh and Tranent the largest sources of them.

Two cases last year involved East Lothian’s children’s services stepping in to care for unaccompanied young people who needed help.

Ms Duncan said the two young people, from Vietnam and Iran, had ended up in their care but that funding from the Home Office to support them had fallen short, saying: “We did eventually receive funding from the Home Office which paid £91 a week towards the care of each of the young people. We estimated that the cost of support, including accommodation, translators and so on came in at £2,500 a week.”

Ms Duncan’s report acknowledged the work of staff at the council’s children’s home service Lothian Villa, which received praise following an inspection.