The Welfare of Children with Mentally Ill Parents

The Welfare of Children with Mentally Ill Parents examines theinterventions made by professional workers from a range ofdifferent disciplines in families with dependent children and amentally ill parent. The authors compare responses of professionalsin ten European countries and one state in Australia. The analysisof the differences sheds new light on both the inherent andsystem-determined difficulties in helping families to manage theirsituation effectively.
* Features the only comparative study of mental health socialservices and the law governing compulsory hospital admission
* Covers a current "hot-button" topic that is growing in importanceas the impact of social policy developments on children over timebecomes more apparent
* Offers a unique perspective due to the focus on the impact ofchildren of mentally ill parents and the international systems thatdeal with child protection List of Figures and Tables.

About the Authors.

Preface.

I INTRODUCTION: USING COMPARISON.

1 The Context and the Method.

2 The Systems of the Partner Countries: Introduction and theScandinavian Law Countries.

3 The Systems of the Partner Countries: the ContinentalCountries and the English-Speaking Countries.

4 Compulsory Hospitalisation in Mental Health and StateIntervention for Child Protection.

5 The Responses of the Partner Countries to the Vignette.

6 Issues.

7 Inter-Country Reflections.

II INTRODUCTION: WORKING WITH DIFFERENCE.

8 Comparisons: England, Germany and Italy.

9 The State and the Family: Explaining Variations inInterventions.

10 Risk, Childhood and Mental Health.

11 Co-operation and Communication.

III INTRODUCTION: DEVELOPING NEW INFORMATION.

12 Invisible Children.

13 Meeting Needs.

14 Conclusions.

Appendix: The Professions Represented in the DiscussionGroups.

Glossary and Index of Acronyms.

References.

Index. "..Overall this is an excellent book" (Mental health Today, May2002)

"...I would strongly recommend this book..." (Child& Family Social Work, Vol.7, No.3, 2002)

"...Much can be learned from international comparisonstudies..." (Int Jnl of Adolescent Medicine and Health, Vol.14,No.2, 2002)

"...This book is fascinating reading..." (The BritishJournal of Social Work, Vol.32, No.7, 2002)

"...found this book to be a comprehensive treatment of thesubject..." (Child Abuse Review, May 2003)

"...an important contribution to the debate...wecan certainly learn from the evidence presented in thisbook...(Child Abuse Review, Vol 12 2003)

Rachael Hetherington is the author of The Welfare of Children with Mentally Ill Parents: Learning from Inter-Country Comparisons, published by Wiley.

Karen Baistow is the author of The Welfare of Children with Mentally Ill Parents: Learning from Inter-Country Comparisons, published by Wiley.

Ilan Katz is the author of The Welfare of Children with Mentally Ill Parents: Learning from Inter-Country Comparisons, published by Wiley.

Jeffrey Mesie is the author of The Welfare of Children with Mentally Ill Parents: Learning from Inter-Country Comparisons, published by Wiley.

Judith Trowell is the author of The Welfare of Children with Mentally Ill Parents: Learning from Inter-Country Comparisons, published by Wiley.

The welfare of children with mentally ill parents: Learning from inter-country comparisons looks at different approaches to supporting families in ten European countries and one state in Australia. These families have complex needs, and a wide range of agencies in mental health and social services may be involved. This can lead to problems of liaison and co-operation between different agencies and different disciplines.

A vivid picture of service provisions and the way in which legislation can operate in different countries emerges in the book. Professionals identified common problems and effective responses which were used to build a European model of good practice. This takes into account the nature of the difficulties facing families and the strengths and weaknesses of different national systems. The model is used a basis for analysing the particular problems of the English system and the authors suggest ways forward.

This important volume is essential reading for practitioners, managers, academics and students in the fields of social work, mental health and social policy. It is also a key source of reference for policy makers in mental health and social welfare, and for mental health and child welfare pressure groups.