Purpose:
The purpose of this project is to pilot a targeted service for parents, carers and family siblings, of children with complex mental health issues from the ages of 4-17yrs of age. Parents and carers often require significant emotional & practical support during periods when their child are intensely and critically unwell usually leading to, during and following hospital admission.
This pilot is seeking to provide significant emotional & practical support for parents and carers during these identified periods, with the intention of achieving a range of better outcomes not only for the parents and carers but also their children and the child and youth mental health, hospital and education systems.
Background to the project:
Based on recent parent and carer feedback to Arafmi and Raising Minds regarding experiences of parent and carers of children and young people being admitted to child and youth mental health wards, it became apparent that there was a need to further address the emotional and practical support for parents, carers and kin.
The empirical evidence supports this feedback. Mental disorders can vary in severity and duration and may also be episodic. Around 2%–3% of Queenslanders (equivalent to about 123,000 people based on the estimated 2017 population) have a severe mental disorder, according to diagnosis, intensity of symptoms, duration of symptoms and degree of disability (not limited to severe psychotic disorders) (DoHA 2013).
Between 4% and 6% of the Queensland population or 240,000 Queenslanders have a moderate mental disorder, and a further 9%–12% (about 520,000 people) have a mild disorder.
The Mental Health of Children and Adolescents (2015) indicates that over the previous 12months in Queensland:
- One in seven, 4 to 17 yr olds were assessed as having a mental disorder or approximately 112,000 children.
- Approximately 6.2% or 6944 of children with a mental disorder were either admitted to hospital, presented at ED or hospital outpatient dept.
- Around 7.3% or 8176, 12–17 yr old had visited a Headspace centre. In addition, the Social Policy Research Centre (2015) found in the most recent evaluation of Headspace, that there was an identified need for parent and carer support that was currently unable to be provided by Headspace Centres.
This project is currently unfunded. Raising Minds is working with community, profit for purpose, government and philanthropic partners to create and establish a consortia to resource the project.
If you have any questions please contact us.