Review of Teenlink: A health service for children and adolescents of parents with substance use.
OBJECTIVE
To evaluate Teenlink, a wide-ranging medical and psychological health service addressing the needs of children and adolescents in substance-using families, who are at increased risk of developmental and psychosocial problems.


METHODS
Retrospective record review of 124 children, from 92 families seen over a 13 year period.


RESULTS
Polysubstance use and mental illness were common amongst parents. Children often presented with emotional and behavioural problems. Teenlink provided parenting skills, individual and family work, medical care, case management, advocacy, collaboration and education with adult drug and alcohol services.


CONCLUSIONS
The chronic and complex nature of parental addiction, need for ongoing support and tailored service utilisation, reflected the length of engagement.
Department of Adolescent Medicine, The Children's Hospital at Westmead, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.|The University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
Anthony
http://orcid.org/0000-0001-7058-8960
A
Zehetner
Department of Adolescent Medicine, The Children's Hospital at Westmead, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
Popi
P
Iatrou
The University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.|Department of Adolescent Medicine, Westmead Hospital, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.|Department of Paediatrics, Nepean Hospital, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
Basiliki
B
Lampropoulos
The University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
Natalie
N
Phillips
D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D002657:Child Development; D002662:Child Health Services; D016241:Child of Impaired Parents; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008485:Medical Audit; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D016320:Substance Abuse Treatment Centers; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders
addiction; adolescent; child; development; substance use