How COA Week 2025 created a ‘movement for change’
The movement for change that is COA Week continues to be a huge success for Nacoa and the COA movement as a whole. In its 16th edition, the campaign’s success continues to reach new heights both here and abroad.
COA Week a movement for change
This year, we saw partner organizations run COA Week campaigns in Finland, Germany, India, Ireland, South Korea, Slovenia, Switzerland, Sweden, and the USA. The international collaborative effort highlights the common thread of solidarity and support for these children across the globe.
A particular highlight was the announcement and publication of Nacoa UK’s book Jasper’s Wish, which was translated into Korean.
Amelie’s letter calling for support
Our message reached millions in the UK through a combination of TV, radio, and social media. The march was led by 13-year-old Nacoa ambassador Amelie, who appeared on Good Morning Britain alongside her mother, Lucy, and friend and Nacoa patron, Calum Best. This resulted in a monumental response on social media and opened the doors for Nacoa at 10 Downing Street.
The NSPCC is a key partner in COA Week and our broader efforts to support children. The NSPCC again issued a news release to put the spotlight on COA Week due to the number of contacts they receive from people concerned about a parent’s alcohol and drug use – an average of 31 contacts a day.
The NSPCC is joining with Nacoa to let children who are experiencing parental alcohol and substance misuse know that they are not alone, and that support is available. Help is also available for parents or carers who are concerned about the impact of their own or another adult’s substance or alcohol misuse on a child.
This is also the time of year when the alcohol harm community, more generally, is urged to stop and listen to the voices of children.
Ambassador Josh Connolly amazed the entire community with his announcement that he planned to walk from Nacoa to Downing Street with Amelie’s letter to the government. The hike took him three days, covering around 30 miles per day. When he arrived, Amelie’s media efforts had paved the way for him to enter Downing Street, where he later delivered a passionate speech at the Stafford Ward Lecture at the House of Commons.
The centerpiece of every COA Week is Nacoa’s Stafford Ward Lecture at the House of Commons, and this year featured Rt Hon Liam Byrne MP, George Freeman MP, Rt Hon Jonathan Ashworth, Josh Connolly, Calum Best, Camilla Tominey, and Hilary Henriques MBE. Nacoa filled the Atlee Suite with 140 attendees who came to support the speakers and celebrate the reconvening of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Children of Alcoholics for this Parliamentary session.
Our incredible community
Other highlights included our Young People’s Panel on Instagram Live, where four young volunteers shared their personal journeys to recovery from growing up with a parent’s drinking.
Capping off the week was the publication of Dear…, a book of ‘no-send’ letters from service users, either to a family member or to addiction itself. This was a collaborative effort between Nacoa, Scottish Families, and Turning Point, led by Nacoa ambassador John Taylor.
We look back on another surprising and momentous COA Week with renewed purpose and passion. Though there is still much work to be done, with this community here and around the world, we will continue to move forward and make the world a better, kinder place for COAs to live and recover into happy lives.
