Supporting parents with mental illness and their children – developments in family focused practice in the United Kingdom and Ireland

摘要

It is estimated that globally between a fifth and a third of adults receiving treatment from mental health services have children, and that between 10% and 23% of children live with at least one parent with mental health problems (Maybery, Reupert, Patrick, Goodyear, & Crase, 2009; Parker et al., 2008). However, characteristics such as the gender, race and social circumstances of parents mean that the overall picture is more nuanced and that our understanding of the lived experience for families when a member has a mental health problem isstill developing (Stambaugh etal., 2017). While the overwhelming majority of chil- dren living with an adult with mental health problems are loved and well cared for, that does not mean that the circumstances such children find themselves in, including those who live with adults whose use of substances is problematic, does not have an impact upon them. Additionally, in a small number of families there are more significant challenges for parents in meeting the needs of their children, including keeping children safe from abuse or neglect (Nevriana et al., 2020).