This article describes the author's experience of social work with drug using parents and their children in Dublin between 1983 and 1993. A comparison of Irish health and social care services with those in Britain demonstrates that the level of confidentiality in the later means that little information on drug users' children is available to drug agencies. Irish services would have displayed the same approach but a number of factors influenced change during the 1980s, in particular the number of older drug users and women presenting for treatment. Gradually, co-operative arrangements between drug and child care agencies began to be adopted, a development which was supported by government reports and new legislation. HIV/AIDS awareness encouraged a more client-based approach to treatment which took the needs of parents in account. The author concludes that there is a great needs for innovative local projects to help drug using parents and their children.