Background Information for Workforce Educators

Keeping Families and Children in Mind: COPMI Mental Health Worker Education Resource

The national COPMI initiative has been funded by the Department of Health and Ageing to develop a learning resource  for mental health workers in Australia ( psychiatry, nursing, occupational therapy, social work, psychology and general medical practitioners) about working with families (and in particular children) where a parent experiences mental illness.

The learning resource will be provided by trainers to mental health workers in a group setting and it can also be accessed by individual mental health workers. All the content for the training will be web based. It is expected that mental health workers complete six modules and then meet together to network and collaborate about how to best provide services to families in their local area. A seventh module for trainers only will provide materials and resources to assist them to facilitate the face to face session. The modules will take approximately one hour to run and are flexible in their delivery.

There has been extensive consultation with consumers, carers, workers, academics, policy makers about the design and the content of the project. The following seven modules are being created:

1 Mental Health and Families

Introduces all the members of a family, who has a parent living  with them who experiences mental illness. Outlines the factors that contribute to mental health and provides information about stigma and mental illness.

2 The Parent

Introduces two parents from separate families who experience mental illness and provides insight into the importance of the role of parenting.  Highlights the impact of mental illness on parenting and the impact of parenting on mental illness, and their influence on recovery.

3 The Child

Provides an opportunity to reflect on the experiences of children within two families where a parent experiences mental illness.  Highlights the risk and protective factors that influence child wellbeing, including the impact of parental mental illness on child development. Provides examples of talking to children and young people and also provides examples of resources such as information and care plans.

4 The Family

Highlights the importance and influence of the family unit in the recovery of a parent who experiences mental illness, including influences on family functioning, family resilience and working with families from a strength based approach

5 Carers

Presents the perspective of family carers with a particular emphasis on the  issues faced by young carers and grandparents as carers of children of parent s who experience mental illness.

6 Putting it into Practice

Provides opportunities for learners to reflect on their work practice at an individual and systems level in regards to supporting families where a parent experiences mental illness and to access practical examples of what workers are currently doing across Australia.

7 Supporting Families (Trainer module only)

 A trainer resource to facilitate follow up face to face sessions in local regions for workers from sectors who work with families,  to facilitate networking, collaboration and the sharing of resources about supporting families where a parent experiences mental illness.

Within each module there will be a focus on mental health promotion, prevention and early intervention. The consumer’s voice will be integral within each module and families will present their perspectives and experiences   throughout the whole learning resource. This will be achieved through the use of video, photos, audio tape, written material, actors and by consumers, carers who consent to be filmed.

It is planned that the testing and building of the resource will be completed by end of July 2009. It is hoped that the resource can be trialled in August, September 2009 to gain feedback about how it can be best implemented in different states and settings in Australia. The resource is free and liaison is currently underway with Professional Organisations and Colleges to seek accreditation for professional development for different professions.

For more information about the workforce development training resource contact Kylie Eddy on 8367 0888 ext 25, or email: eddyk@aicafmha.net.au