Rising number of children affected by relative’s alcohol problems.

A charity which supports Lincolnshire children affected by a relative’s alcohol abuse says the number of those its helped in and around South Holland has risen by over a third.

Charity Young Oasis, which is part of Lincolnshire Action Trust, says it has had to recruit more staff to cope with demand.

Between April 2017 and March 2018, 19 children were helped by Young Oasis from the Boston and South Holland district, that is up from the 12 over the same period in the previous 12 months.

It also makes up a large proportion of the 47 children across the county who needed the service over the 12 months preceding April.

Young Oasis was set up in 2000 to help the five to 18-year-olds whose lives are affected by relative or guardian’s alcohol abuse by offering confidential one-to-one support to work through the challenges of their situation.

Christina Hall, director of operations for Lincolnshire Action Trust, said: “Sadly, we’ve seen a rise in demand for our service every year – so much so that we recently had to recruit two more members of staff to ensure we can adequately meet it.

“We’ve had 17 referrals so far this year – compared to four in the same period last year – and we’re currently dealing with over 40 cases, so the figures for the next 12 months will look significantly different.”

The Young Oasis project is funded entirely by Lincolnshire Action Trust and relies on donations.

Christina added: “For the majority of the children accessing our service, it is their parents who are misusing alcohol so, of course, we welcome the commitment from the government.

“Although at the time of writing we don’t know the exact plan for the funding, it’s certainly reassuring to know that it is being recognised as a key issue in Westminster.”

A donation page has been set up for pledges to Young Oasis. It is at www.justgiving.com/campaigns/charity/lat-jg/young-oasis