Thousands of children with alcoholic parents call bedtime story helpline

Helpline: 32,000 children phoned or emailed the National Association for Children of Alcoholics last year.
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Francesca Gillett19 February 2017

Children as young as five are ringing a phone line to listen to bedtime stories because their alcoholic parents are too drunk to put them to bed.

Thousands of kids called a helpline run by the National Association for Children of Alcoholics last year to listen to a story before bed, new figures have shown.

There is thought to be around 2.5 million children with alcoholic parents in the UK. MPs have called it a “secret scandal”.

The chief executive of charity Nacoa, Hilary Henriques, said on one occasion a counsellor had to help a five-year-old girl call 999 when her drug and alcohol addicted mother had locked herself in the bathroom overnight.

When paramedics arrived they found the woman had died.

Another of their callers, a girl aged seven, rang while hiding from her drunk parents under her bed on Christmas day.

She was cold, scared and had received no presents and wanted to hear a story about her imaginary friend - a dog called Bruce.

Their regular callers often request classic Disney tales, while the Horrid Henry books and Roald Dahl are also popular, Ms Henriques said.

Nacoa marked Children of Alcoholics week, which ended on Saturday, following the launch of a manifesto by MPs calling on the Government to take action.

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