"The Principles and Actions for Services and People Working with Children of Parents with a Mental Illness" (2004) was prepared by AICAFMHA (the Australian Infant Child Adolescent and Family Mental Health Association Ltd) for the Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing to assist government and non-government people and services working with children of parents with a mental illness.

Background

The needs of Australian children of parents with a mental illness were identified in the Mental Health Promotion and Prevention National Action Plan(i) released by the National Mental Health Promotion and Prevention Working Party in January 1999. This working party commissioned the Australian Infant, Child, Adolescent and Family Mental Health Association (AICAFMHA) to carry out an initial scoping study of the then current responses across Australia to the needs of these children and parents.

In May 2001, the Minister for Health launched the Children of Parents Affected by a Mental Illness Scoping Project Report(ii) . In response to this report, the Commonwealth Government allocated funding for a national initiative to develop good practice principles and guidelines for services and workers, and complementary resource materials for services/workers, parents and young people-the COPMI (Children of Parents with a Mental Illness) initiative.

Following broad-ranging consultations across Australia and an extensive literature search in 2002, a Discussion Document(iii) was developed and widely circulated for comment. Formal responses were received from all states and territories, from local and national bodies, and from individuals and groups of consumers, carers, young people and service providers across a range of sectors. Consultations relating to the Discussion Document were also held with children and young people living in urban and rural areas of Australia, who have a parent with a mental illness. The Draft Principles and Actions for Services and People Working with Children of Parents with a Mental Illness(iv) document was developed in 2003 as the culmination of the consultation process, with consumers, their carers and children and service providers at the individual, team, organisation and systems level contributing to its review.

The current document (2004) includes modifications made to the draft document in response to feedback received.