Publications

New free online resource helps children talk openly about parents' drinking problems

The Children's Commissioner for England and The Children's Society have today published the first booklet of its kind - “You are not on your own. A booklet to help children and adults talk about a parent's drinking” - for use by children affected by a parent or carer drinking too much alcohol.

It will help them to have frank discussions with teachers, professionals or an adult who they trust when they are worried about a parent or carer and the problems caused by their alcohol consumption.

The booklet is a free online resource, available at: at the childrens commissioner website or here (pdf).

See also:

• Alcohol Concern, The Children's Society, (2010). “Swept under the carpet: Children affected by parental alcohol misuse.”  Click here
  
• Manning, V., Best, D.W., Faulkner, N. & Titherington, E. (2009) New estimates on the number of children living with substance-misusing parents: results from UK national household surveys. Journal of Public Health, 9 (1), pp377-389. Click here (pdf)

This resource booklet has been compiled for Council for the Homeless Northern Ireland (CHNI) by Helen Sandwell, Good Food and Health, with contributions from CHNI, homeless service users, Belfast Health & Social Care Trust’s Community Nutrition and Dietetic Service, and Depaul Ireland. The booklet is funded by the Eastern Drugs and Alcohol Coordination Team (EDACT) and the Public Health Agency.

This booklet is aimed at support workers and other homelessness staff working with heavy drinkers, who would like to help their clients eat better. It provides information about the effects of alcohol and an alcohol driven lifestyle on nutrient intake, together with basic healthy eating messages and ideas on how to encourage clients to eat more nutritious food and more regular meals.

This year, Homelessness Awareness Week runs from Friday 26th November to Saturday 4th December, inclusive. CHNI and some of our members are already organising several events (details to follow).

Feel free to let us know what you’re doing for and with your residents / clients for Homelessness Awareness Week.If you have an idea and would like to discuss how best to include it in the week of events, contact Méabh – 90246440, meabh@chni.org.uk 

CHNI receive statistics relating to homelessness from the NIHE annually. These data, received in the Winter each year, cover the previous year (April to March).

These are treated and presented in poster format and more detailed format. level of detail depends on the detail in data sets provided.

For further information: contact George Quinn, Information officer, CHNI, at 02890 245440 or email: info@chni.org.uk

• poster format
• more detailed data - due to file size, available on request.

For the first time, the main sources of current and relevant information for those working in the field of homelessness across Northern Ireland, have been consolidated in one publication.

The document creates a reference for accessing an array of information, and provides current and accurate information related to research, legislation and practice in the field.

Conceptualised and developed as an evolving document, sections of the Resource Guide will be modified and new sections and topics added as issues are identified.

To facilitate this process, CHNI welcomes your feedback and suggestions for future editions of this Guide.

This is the first publication of its kind in Northern Ireland. We hope that it will prove an invaluable resource to all working in the field.

For further information: contact George Quinn, Information officer, CHNI, at 02890 245440 or email: info@chni.org.uk

Click here for ‘A Guide to Publications on Homelessness in Northern Ireland 2008.’

• CHINWAG, September 2010 (PDF), click here 
• Homeless Statistics 2008-09. poster (PDF) click here. For detailed stats (PDF), click here. Regional breakdown will be online soon 

•  June 2011 (pdf) due to file size available on request
• Apr 2011 (pdf) click here
• Feb 2011 (pdf) click here
• November 2010, click here
• October 2010, click here
• September 2010, click here
• July-August 2010, click here
• May-June 2010 (PDF), click here
• April 2010 (PDF), click here
• Mar 2010, click here
• Feb 2010, click here
• Dec-jan 2010, click here
• Nov 2009 (PDF), click here  
• Oct 2009 (WORD), click here
• Sept 2009 (PDF), click here
• July/Aug 2009 (WORD), click here
• June 2009 (WORD), click here
• May 2009 (WORD), click here
•  April 2009 (WORD), click here
•  March 2009 (PDF), click here
• Jan / Feb 2009 (PDF), click here