AICAFMHA:
promoting mental health for young Australians
Australian Infant, Child, Adolescent and Family Mental Health Association Ltd
ABN 87 093 479 022
| Date update submitted | 23rd October 2003 |
| Program Title | Parentships - Parenting and Concurrent Children's Group |
| Contact Person/s | Carmen Darmanin & Angela Obradevic |
| Organisation | Darebin Community Mental Health Centre |
| Address | Northern Area Mental Health Service Darebin Community Mental Health Centre 83 Hotham St, Preston 3072 |
| State | VIC |
| carmen.darmanin@mh.org.au | |
| Telephone | 03 9416 9111 (mob 0410 549 337) |
| Facsimile | 03 9480 4176 |
| Program Description | The Parents and concurrent children's group has been a pilot prject which began running in March 2003. Prior to the groups formally comencing, a Reference Committee was formed in February 2003 to plan and discuss the implementation of the groups in the Northern Area. The groups have been specifically set up for those parents who have a serious mental illness and who are case managed by Northern Mental Health Services, this includes the Continuing Care Team, Mobile Support Team and the Community Care Units. The Parents and Children's group have a preventative focus and attempt to assist parents, who have a serious mental illness to learn better parenting skills, improve their social, emotional and mental wellbeing, whilst increasing their children's understanding of mental health issues and their coping skills/resilence. |
| Evaluation Information | There were pre and post evaluations which case managers, parents and children where required to do. These evaluations were both qualitative and quantative. The Children's evaluations were conducted differently to the others. The faciliators of the Children's group combined the pre and post evlautions together and undertook them with the children verbally, the information obtained was later recorded onto the structured evaluation. |
| Evidence | The project was based on clinical information received from a survey conducted in 2002 at Darebin Community Mental Health Centre - which required case managers to identify who on their caseload were parents with children. The project was also based on research - The Parents and Parentships Project (Dept Human Services 1998), "Children of Parents experiencing major mental illnes", by V.Cowling, Boomerang Club Parents Group (1999 - in Moonee Ponds, Melb.) and an overall perceived need by clinicians in the Northern Area. |
| Any other information | The pilot groups concluded in October 2003. They were so sucessful that the parents have continued to meet informally on a monthly basis to maintain peer support and share their parenting experiences. It is hoped that this group will be 'consumers driven' in a couple of months. |
Printable Version