Parental Mental Health and Child Welfare Network
January 2008 Newsletter
Think Family at the top of the agenda
At this windblown and potentially desolate time of year, let us all take heart from the Government backing its strategic aim of improving the life chances of families at risk through publication of the full Think Family strategy, including £16million for pathfinder projects to be led by the Department for Children, Schools and Families. Children who care for disabled parents are to be particularly targeted for help, with £3million being made available for up to six family pathfinders to extend their work to help children burdened by caring responsibilities
Published by the Cabinet Office the document has a joint foreword from Ed Milliband and Beverley Hughes. It emphasises the need to think family in the delivery of adults’ services. Adult service should always consider whether the individual concerned is a parent and children’s services must focus on the adults who are crucial to an adult’s wellbeing. Further details;
An analysis of the strategy by PMHCWN
Beyond the smile: working together for positive maternal mental health study day
Naomi Eisenstadt, Director of the Social Exclusion Task Force responsible for the Think Family strategy, is to open the Parental Mental Health and Child Welfare Network’s maternal mental health study day on Tuesday 18 March 2008 where she will outline the implications of Think Family for services working together at this crucial time in the lives of every family.
The study day, entitled ‘Beyond the Smile: Working Together for Positive maternal Mental Health’ aims to explore how whole family approaches and cross-sector working are being used to improve mental health and well-being for new mothers, fathers, babies and families where one or both parents have experienced mental health problems. It will focus specifically on models of intervention including mother and baby units, postnatal support groups, Newpin and Building Bridges services, and we hope will also hear from one of the Family Nurse Partnerships about the realities of implementation of this approach.
‘Beyond the Smile’ will also hear from acclaimed speaker and postnatal depression survivor Elaine Hanzak about her experiences of support and recovery, and include workshops run by staff and ex-service users from the highly-esteemed Brockington Unit in Staffordshire and ‘Choose Life’-inspired postnatal support group developers and facilitators in Scotland. Book your place now while places are still available
Hope for future funding
The network has submitted a bid to the Department for Children Schools and families for 3 year funding from the Children Young People and Families Grant programme. It is a two tier bidding process and we have successfully got through the first stage. The grant would put the national network on a secure financial footing and enable us to support the development of regional networks. So please keep your fingers crossed for a good result.
Safeguarding children in fragmented families
The study day ‘ Safeguarding in Fragmented Families ‘ was a great success. The papers will be on the website and a publication of the day should be available in February. The plenary sessions and workshops provided some useful practice guidance. The analysis of serious case reviews showed again how frequently parental mental health issues, alcohol and substance misuse, and domestic violence occur in families where children are abused- and risks posed by a combination of two or three of these factors.
Too young to care – not old enough for help?
The Princess Royal Trust for Carers runs vital services via carers’ centres for young carers across the UK. Drew Lindon, Mental Health Policy and Development Officer, has written an illuminating article on the rights and realities of young mental health carers, including the continuing gaps between the rhetoric of carer and family-focussed policy and its interpretation in practice, the Trust’s work in shaping the review of the National Carers’ Strategy, and its campaigning work pressing for increased duties on services to include young carers’ needs. For the full article follow this link.
Family Matters research
The Mental Health Foundation has begun a two year-long research project entitled ‘Family Matters’ exploring the experiences of family members when a parent/carer is admitted to a psychiatric in-patient unit. The project was developed following frequently expressed concerns from donors to the Foundation about the impact of parental mental health on family members, and is taking place in the context of other significant developments including the comprehensive review of existing research, new research and development of guidelines under the auspices of SCIE and NICE. Full piece on this important new research.
Practice examples
We are aiming to update the practice examples section of the PMHCWN website as a space where readers can learn about services in other localities and regions. We welcome contributions to this section from members using the form and will soon begin featuring examples of local services. Inclusion in this space does not imply approval or constitute a recommendation by the Network, but is intended as a simple means of learning and networking.
Vicky Nicholls and Terry Bamford
January 2008
