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Young carers - all children in need of care? Decision making for children of parents with mental health problems
- Authors:
- SCHOFIELD Gillian, WALSH Judi
- Journal article citation:
- Child and Family Law Quarterly, 22(2), 2010, pp.223-233.
- Publisher:
- Jordan Publishing
Arguing that families where a parent has a mental health problem have long struggled to have the needs of both parents and children understood and recognised, this paper reviews research on the impact of parental mental health problems on children who support and care for parents with such problems, considering the risks that need to be taken into account when children become young carers but may not be receiving adequate care themselves and noting the importance of this research material when considering child protection strategies in relation to the significant harm threshold and when planning for care. It looks at the research context, attachment security and children of parents with mental health problems, implications for the court and the care plan, and permanency in foster care where parents have mental health problems including the role of the parent and the question of contact. The authors conclude that in the complex cases that come before the courts, in private as well as public law proceedings, it is important that the concept of child as carer is examined critically in each case and that the full range of attachment, developmental and social functioning issues are explored.
Children's understanding of mental ill health: implications for risk and resilience in relationships
- Author:
- WALSH Judi
- Journal article citation:
- Child and Family Social Work, 14(1), February 2009, pp.115-122.
- Publisher:
- Wiley
Research shows that having a parent with a mental health problem has associated risks for children, but some families seem very resilient and do not always suffer these difficulties. In order for social workers to be able to support the development of resilience in families who appear to be at risk, we need to understand what factors may ameliorate some of these risks. Research seems to suggest that children who can conceptualize their parent's mental health problem as something 'outside' their representation of that parent as an attachment figure are likely to have better outcomes than children who see the mental-health problem as part of, and embedded within, their representation of that parent. However, in order to develop an understanding of how this conceptualization affects attachment relationships and outcomes, we need to know what children understand by mental ill health. We also need to consider how this conceptualization might be changed, and it appears that parents, other attachment figures and other support figures may play a key role here. This paper provides a selective review of the research area and discusses the mechanisms which may govern this complex process. The review concludes with recommendations for future research and practice.