Rebecca spoke with Katherine Hill

Katherine Hill

According to Anorexia Bulimia Care, eating disorders are increasingly common. Although official statistics say that around 2% of the female population are struggling with an eating disorder, recent studies amongst some groups such as teenage girls reveal much higher rates. Parents of children struggling with anorexia or bulimia can find the journey through the eating disorder frightening and stressful. In response to the growing need, Care For The Family has recently launched a befriending line for those parents. Rebecca Duffett spoke with Katherine Hill, Director of Policy to find out more.

Rebecca: What affect does having a child with an eating disorder have on the parent?

Katherine: It has a huge impact on family life. I think a lot of parents feel isolated; they feel that no-one else understands. It affects their marriage if they're married. It affects relationships with other children. It affects sibling relationships and puts a massive pressure on the family. One of the reasons we have set up this new befriending service is because we were getting increased contact from parents whose children were seriously ill and they were finding the affect it was having on their family life very difficult.

Rebecca: What would someone expect to hear when they rang up your service?

Katherine: They would be put in touch with a befriender, who would be another parent who has experience of having a child who has suffered with an eating disorder. All the befrienders will be trained and supported by Anorexia Bulimia Care, which is the charity that we're in partnership with on this particular project. They would match the person as closely as possible in experience and the befriender would give them practical encouragement, some insights from real life, reassurance and emotional support.

Rebecca: Is this something that parents would use on a regular basis?

Katherine: Absolutely and that's one of the great things about it. It would be on a regular basis and when they need it they can be in contact with the befriender. The other great thing is it's not geographically related; because it's a telephone befriending service, there can be someone who has a child with an eating disorder in Hull and they can be linked with a befriender in Cornwall who matches their situation.

Rebecca: How big a problem are eating disorders among young people? We hear all sorts of statistics flying around.

Katherine: The UK has got one of the highest rates of eating disorders in Europe. I think it's more than 3,800 people under 18 have been admitted to hospital with eating disorders just in the past four years. The number of cases is certainly increasing with boys and girls. Interestingly there is a lack of robust data about exactly how many people have an eating disorder, because I think people are often reluctant to seek treatment. The Department of Health statistics are just provided on people who have been in hospital and that just covers national health services. There are probably many others that aren't reflected in those statistics.

Rebecca: What has the response to the phone service been so far? Has it been popular?

Katherine: It has. We're starting small and we're hoping to grow it. We have other befriending services at Care For The family that provide support for parents in other situations; parents of children with additional needs like bereaved parents. We've seen those grow year on year and we're hoping that the same will be the case with this befriending service.

Rebecca: What is the number of the befriending service?

Katherine: The best thing is to contact us at Care For The Family at 02920 811733 and then we can put you in touch with the relevant people.