Weekly CEO Update: Supporting children and families where a parent has a mental illness
There was a brilliant moment for me this week – and it did not involve discussions about the Federal Budget, although they were very positive too.
I was invited to speak at a launch of the Framework for Children of Parents with a Mental Illness at one of our member organisations, Central Coast Family Support Services.
Held on the beautiful Central Coast of NSW, the morning after the Budget, it was an honour to be there with the team and around 50 local service providers at the heart of supporting parents and/or children with mental illness.
In Australia, it is estimated that 21-23% of all children live with at least one parent with a mental illness and some international research tells us that these children have up to 50% chance of developing a mental illness themselves.
Once upon a time, I was a family therapist working in child and adolescent mental health clinical settings. Back then a child or teenager was sometimes called the ‘identified patient’, despite the ripple effect of their distress within their families. And with clinicians from the adult team in the same organisation we established that there were more than 400 children represented by those adults registered for treatment at the service.
For too long we have focussed our services on individuals — either the child or the teenager or the parent/s.
It’s time to focus on services for families.
It’s time to recognise the importance of the connections in families – especially for children and their mental health.
And of course, it’s not a new idea! There have been people working in clinical settings and in psychosocial and social care across the country for years to assist families where the parent has a mental illness, and policies have been developed by governments over time to support this work.
But the event on Wednesday reminded me how important it is that services work together to respond to both the individuals (children and parents) and the family as a whole. We need to learn to think about complexity — because being a parent can be complex.
So let’s think about the individuals: mums or dads, aunties or uncles who live with a mental illness. Are they getting the treatment and support they personally need? Are they being supported as parents?
And let’s think about the children living in families where a parent or their primary carer has a mental illness. What might they need to support their own experience and their own mental well-being, their learning, their peer relationships, their growing bodies, their resilience, their understanding?
I have to stop here and say they the budget announcements gave us hope for expanded services and welcome supports for individuals – both children and parents with a mental illness:
- New adult mental health hubs in communities across the country.
- Expanded headspace services.
- New child hubs so that troubled children can access community-based mental health care.
Even better – a funding commitment to work towards universal mental health screening for parents in the perinatal period so that if they are struggling early with their babies, both can get help early. And continued universal access to preschool to help prepare children for a life of learning and social connection.
Both services for children and services for adults should consider whole families. And as a community of services, the Central Coast has a great opportunity to lead the way here. Their new framework recognises the connection to each other across the service system.
And it is focused on the children’s needs at the centre, but in the context of the family. Perfect timing for National Families Week from 15 to 21 May which coincides with the United Nations International Day of Families.
Have a good weekend.
Leanne Beagley
CEO
Join the team at Mental Health Australia: NMHCCF Project Officer
Reporting to the Manager, Consumer & Carer Programs you will be responsible for providing a high standard of project and administration support to deliver a number of projects as part of Mental Health Australia’s contractual responsibilities to the NMHCCF. The position is responsible for assisting with the design, implementation and delivery of projects in accordance with the NMHCCF Workplan. Find out more here.
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Framework for Mental Health in Multicultural Australia Workshops Due to the developing restrictions in Sydney as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, we have taken the precautionary decision to postpone the face-to-face Framework Workshop that was planned, to a date still to be confirmed. We hope to be able to hold this face-to-face event in the coming weeks or months, and we thank you for your interest and support of the Embrace Multicultural Mental Health Project and the delivery of the Framework. For further enquiries, please contact multicultural@mhaustralia.org The Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (ATAGI) and Department of Health updated COVID-19 advice and information ATAGI have reinforced their recommendations on the use of the COVID-19 vaccine and the Chief Medical Officer has also issued a statement on the ATAGI advice. In response, the Department of Health has updated its vaccine information on the AstraZeneca vaccine, as well as information for vaccine providers, disability service providers, and for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
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