services . Time , training and resources should focus on services across health , education and welfare , as all of these play a part in addressing the needs of families with mental health challenges .
Children should be encouraged to engage in ongoing conversations and decision-making opportunities when the parent is treated for mental health challenges . This will ensure that children ’ s needs can be identified and addressed alongside the parent . When an individual experiences mental health challenges , the entire family of that individual is directly affected . This is further relevant regarding the impact family members have on the individual ’ s illness experience and management . Family focussed treatment models can “… improve outcomes for the parent with mental illness , reduce the subjective and objective burden of care for families , and provide a preventive and supportive function for children . Targeting family relationships within treatment models provides an important opportunity to improve child mental health statistics .
Various principles serve to guide the implementation of policy development , relationship change and practice in child , adolescent , adult and other treatment models . These include :
1 . Parents play a critical role in children ’ s development and need to be supported in this role .
2 . Children ’ s mental , emotional and social needs require support as early as possible to prevent future negative outcomes .
3 . Children and other significant family members need to be considered in ongoing conversations and decision-making opportunities with services , to identify and address their needs .
4 . There is a bi-directional relationship between parents ’ and children ’ s mental health . Both need to be addressed .
5 . A collaborative , strengths-based response to the unique and cultural needs of all family configurations is required .
6 . All health services ( from mental to physical health ), communitybased agencies and other supportive services have a role in addressing the needs of these children and parents . These include but are not limited to schools , churches , housing , family support and child protective services .
Appropriate prevention and early intervention initiatives must be provided to children and parents living with parental mental illness . Current practice paradigms are based on individualistic models of practice , particularly in mental health services . These practice paradigms must change to a more proactive approach .
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