Graham was very pleased to hosted the FASD Trust at an event in Parliament to teach MPs about Foetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD), the leading cause of non-genetic birth defects in the UK.
Up to 75% of children in care are affected by mothers drinking during pregnancy. It is also believed that up to 10% of children in some primary schools show varying severities of mental and physical disabilities caused by this 'invisible' disability.
FASD is the umbrella term for the range of disabilities a child can be born with due to being exposed to alcohol while still in the womb.
National FASD Awareness Day is held on the ninth day of the ninth month to symbolise the nine months of pregnancy during which it is recommended alcohol is avoided to eliminate all risk of a child being affected by FASD. The event was sponsored by Graham Evans, the Member of Parliament for Weaver Vale.
Children with FASD have problems paying attention, poor memory, inappropriate social skills and language difficulties. Due to a lack of awareness, children with the syndrome are often misdiagnosed and labelled 'disobedient' or 'disruptive' or with conditions such as autism or ADHD. They can also have physical difficulties, including facial abnormalities, growth issues, heart defects, bowel and bladder problems, vision and hearing defects.
Graham said: “It is incredibly important to raise awareness of FASD. That means supporting the diagnosis of children with the syndrome and improving awareness that even small amounts of alcohol can seriously damage the wellbeing of babies.
I am proud to be supporting the FASD Trust in their work raising awareness and providing support for children, families, health and care workers.
I look forward to working with the Trust in the future to promote awareness and support for this important issue. "
Founder of the FASD Trust and mother of two adopted children with FASD, Julia Brown, said: "No-one is properly counting. The majority of children affected by FAS are fostered or adopted.
"Through the work we do, we estimated 65% to 75% of children in care are affected by FASD.
"The Trust also works in primary schools where we've estimated about 10 per cent of the children in some schools are affected. As a nation we are sitting on a ticking time bomb."
The FASD Trust is asking MPs to raise awareness and promote a national public health campaign on not drinking alcohol in pregnancy.
Campaigners are demanding improved training on FASD - particularly for medics, social workers and teachers, and improved specialist FASD services.
At present there is often a lack of support services due to lack of reporting of numbers diagnosed. They are also calling for more accurate record keeping on the numbers being diagnosed with FASD.
The World Health Organisation estimate at least 1% of the population has FASD. However, this is widely acknowledged to be a significant under-estimate - with regional variations across the UK and an acknowledgement that children in care are disproportionately affected.