GovWire

This report presents the findings from the national evaluation of the Children of Alcohol Dependent Parents (CADeP) programme innovation fund (IF) in England. The programme was evaluated by the Tavistock Institute of Human Relations, in partnership with IFF Research, between October 2018 and March 2022.

We hope the learning shared in this report provides a guide to local authorities or other organisations running children and family programmes.

The CADeP IF programme provided funding of 5.7 million to 9 areas 13 local authorities between November 2018 and March 2022. The aim of this programme was to:

• support local authorities in innovating and improving systems and practices to enhance the identification of, and outcomes for, children of alcohol dependent parents and their families
• increase awareness of parental conflict among services and explore ways of addressing it among such families

Funding for the programme came from the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) and the Department for Work and Pensions, while Public Health England, which later merged into the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities in DHSC, had responsibility for managing the fund.

The key findings from this report are that this programme has resulted in:

• improvements in the timely identification of alcohol dependent parents, and children of alcohol dependent parents, to help avoid escalation of their situation

• improvements and innovation in the local system for supporting alcohol dependent parents and their children to better address their recovery from alcohol dependence

• increased numbers of alcohol dependent parents receiving treatment in the areas supported by this programme compared with national take up

• some evidence of a positive impact on outcomes for parents and children involved in this programme