Assessing the needs of Children in situations of parental mental ill health

Course Aim:

To provide participants with an opportunity to develop a critical understanding of the potential impact of parents/carers mental ill health on children and work collaboratively with others to meet the needs of the child within the family environment.

Course outcomes: 

Participants will be offered the opportunity to:

• Understand what is mental illness
• Discuss how mental illness can affect parenting capacity and children’s development
• Understand how to use an ecological model of assessment in order to identify the interaction between the needs of children and their parents
• Develop skills in carrying out assessments that maintain a focus on the needs of the child
• Explore roles, responsibilities and how to work collaboratively with the multi-agency network
• Discuss and consider research findings and learning from Serious Case Reviews.