AICAFMHA:
promoting mental health for young Australians
Australian Infant, Child, Adolescent and Family Mental Health Association Ltd
ABN 87 093 479 022

News in Brief - Issue #4.02 (14/02/2004)

AICAFMHA News / What's On? / Mental Health News / Resources / Back to E-News index

AICAFMHA News

Progress with organisation of the 5th National AICAFMHA conference in conjunction with the 14th TheMHS conference is on track and developing nicely. The Call for Papers has been released with abstracts due by Friday 5th March 2004. Click here for conference information.

The COPMI Project has developed a Baby Care Plan which can be viewed online. This is a fairly large file so may take a few minutes to download. Also note the release of the new book edited by Vicki Cowling "Children of Parents with Mental Illness 2: Personal and Clinical Perspectives". Details listed below.

Two new releases from ACER Press are featured below. Both are highly relevant and have created significant interest. AICAFMHA members can benefit in the purchase of these publications by quoting their membership number on the order form and receiving a 10% discount!

Focus on Fathering Editor Robin Sullivan ACER Press 2003 0 86431 4655 $29.95

Being a father in contemporary Australia is challenging. With many factors shaping the way fatherhood is perceived and the way fathers behave, there is no longer a clear definition of a father's (or mother's) role. What remains constant is the important role that parents play in the lives of their children.

Focus on Fathering takes an informative and challenging look at fathering and what it means to be a father. It discusses the fascinating, moving and often contradictory role in which Australian men find themselves as fathers and looks at issues such as:

• What is a good father these days?
• What is it fathers provide that is so influential to a child's development?
• Is fathering importantly different to mothering?
• Is it a role that a single mother or a substitute parent can take?
• What do fathers and children say?
• What do women think?

Features

• Extremely relevant and topical issue in today's society
• Written by practitioners with extensive experience working with fathers and families
• Discusses the children's point of view as well as the father's
• Developed from a forum on Australian fathers organised by the Queensland Commission for Children and Young People

Children of Parents with Mental Illness 2 Personal and Clinical Perspectives Editor Vicki Cowling ACER Press 2004 0 86431 4736 $34.95

Looks at the insights and experiences of children and adults who have lived or grown up with parents with a mental illness. The experiences highlight the need to think of all family members when a parent has a mental illness and identifies the needs of children who need to belong and have someone to talk to about their experiences.

Complimenting these personal accounts are clinical chapters written by Australian practitioners with a rich and diverse range of experiences.

Issues discussed include:

This highly recommended text is a comprehensive and relevant resource for psychologists and social workers.

What?s On?

Call for Abstracts for the Queen Elizabeth's 3rd National Conference "The Critical Early Childhood Years".
1 & 2 October 2004 Copland Theatre, The University of Melbourne
Melbourne, Australia
Further updates will be posted on the QEC website www.qec.org.au

Mental Health News

Parenting Information Project
In May 2003 the Prime Minister announced a commitment of $10 million from the Stronger Families and Community Strategy to early childhood prevention and intervention initiatives. From this $10 million, $8.8 million has been allocated to initiatives under the National Agenda for Early Childhood (NAEC). $3.2 million has been allocated to projects to find out what parenting information and programs are currently available, what parents want, at what transition points, how best to get it and the market testing of an Australian Government program kit and like products.
This Parenting Information Project is one of these projects and will involve research to identify best practice parenting programs and information for Australian families, the most appropriate service delivery mechanisms and the development of products and/or programs.
Family and Community Services (FaCS) has engaged the Centre for Community Child Health (CCCH) to undertake stages one and two of this project.
The first stage involves a literature review of best practice parenting programs and information focussing on the messages parents need to know and how the messages are best delivered. This stage also involves the identification and documentation of current parenting programs and information in Australia and the identification of gaps in information provision.
The second stage involves substantial consultation with key professionals, policy makers and parents in each state and territory to identify what information and programs would better support parents and when and how this information is best provided. A national meeting will be held in late April 2004 with key stakeholders in the field to build on these findings and identify directions and priorities for action.
These two stages will occur simultaneously during the first half of 2004, with a final report due for completion by May 2004. The findings from this research will support the development and testing of parenting products and/or programs for possible implementation during a third project stage.
Focus groups will be held in each state or territory during February and March 2004. Should you wish to contribute to these discussions, or forward parenting information or program material for consideration, please contact the Centre for Community Child Health:
June McLoughlin, Director, Early Childhood Unit, (03) 9345 5297
e june.mcloughlin@rch.org.au
Shannon Newman, Senior Project Officer, (03) 9345 5046
e shannon.newman@mcri.edu.au
Centre for Community Child Health, Royal Children's Hospital Melbourne Flemington Road, Parkville VIC 3052

Every Child Matters - September 2003 is a response to the failure of the child protection system to protect Victoria Climbe in the United Kingdom. The report also recommends increased investment in CAMHS Services. The Report has recently been made available. There is also two companion documents titled Youth Justice- the next steps and Keeping Children Safe which can be downloaded from the same site.
It should also be noted that the UK have developed a separate Response form for children and youth to comment on these reports.
http://www.dfes.gov.uk/everychildmatters/downloads.cfm

Resources

From ABC Health Updates:
FACT FILE: ANXIETY DISORDERS
Anxiety isn't necessarily a problem. But when it becomes persistent, powerful and interferes with daily life, it's called an anxiety disorder. It can take any of a variety of forms - such as panic attacks, phobias and obsessive- compulsive behaviour - which together affect about one in 20 people. But sadly, only a tiny proportion of them will seek treatment.
http://www.abc.net.au/health/regions/library/anxietydisorders.htm

ONLINE FORUM: STRESS AND ANXIETY
Stress and anxiety - Why do they affect so many of us, and how can we cope?
That's the topic of an online forum being hosted on the ABC's health website, Health Matters, this week. Log on between 1 and 2 pm AEST this Friday the 13th, and join in the discussion with a panel of experts. If you're busy at that time, you can post your questions from 1pm the day before, and view the responses at your leisure when the forum's complete.
http://www2b.abc.net.au/health/experts/forum/

ALL IN THE MIND: Bipolar Disorder - Treating the Rollercoaster Saturday 14 February, 1.30pm, ABC TV
Manic depression or bipolar disorder is most famous for its extreme highs. The condition has traditionally been thought to be unresponsive to psychotherapy and Lithium - discovered by an Australian and toxic in overdose - has long been the mainstay of treatment. But the picture is changing.
http://www.abc.net.au/rn/science/mind/

The Well-Being of Canada's Young Children, Government of Canada
This report provides a discussion of the environment in which young Canadian children are growing up and the impact it has on their well-being. In particular, the report focuses on two aspects of environment-the physical environment (including food, air, water and soil) and the family environment. The report includes special sections discussing the well-being of young children, First Nations children, and children with disabilities. Both the 2003 report (54pp) and the 2002 report (58pp) are available at :
http://socialunion.gc.ca/ecd_e.html.

Growing Up Healthy? Statistics Canada
This report is the fourth edition of Statistic Canada's annual health report How Healthy are Canadians? The report examines the conditions that impede, as well as those that enhance, children's potential to "grow up healthy." The analyses are based on data from three Statistics Canada surveys: the National Population Health Survey, the Canadian Community Health Survey, and the National Longitudinal Survey of Children and Youth. Articles in the report include: "Factors related to adolescents' self-perceived health", "Parent and child factors associated with youth obesity", "Children who become active", "Adolescent self-concept and health into adulthood", and "Witnessing violence-aggression and anxiety in young children". To view individual articles or the full report, see:
http://www.statcan.ca/english/freepub/82-003-SIE/82-003-SIE2003000.htm.

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Last Modified: 14-02-2004 14:40:15