Cheshire West & Chester

FASD (Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder) is caused by prenatal alcohol exposure. It happens in the womb before a child is even born.

In all cases the alcohol present causes life long neurodevelopmental issues and in a minority of cases it can also cause some physical differences. The vast majority of people with FASD have no outward physical signs of the condition that impacts them. It is only their behaviour, understanding and difficulties in attaining that indicates that their lives, those of their families and the people that support them are often harder than most. 

Cheshire West and Chester Virtual School is working with the National Organisation for FASD to raise awareness of what is likely to be the biggest preventable cause of neurodevelopmental disorders in the Local Authority. This condition impacts each and everyone of our schools and is on the case load of every social worker.

It was only in 2016 that the Chief Medical Officers advice changes to suggest that the only way to avoid any risk of FASD was not to drink alcohol at all if you were pregnant or trying to get pregnant. Bedore then the advice was not as clear cut and families could be following the old advice and potentially their children could have FASD.