What is the Children of Parents with a Mental Illness (COPMI) initiative?
The Children of Parents with a Mental Illness initiative is a component of the Early Intervention Services for Parents, Children and Young People measure. Under the Children of Parents with a Mental Illness initiative, the Australian Government has funded the Australian, Infant, Child, Adolescent and Family Mental Health Association to provide resources and support to promote better mental health outcomes for children of parents with a mental illness.
Responsibility for this initiative rests with the Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing.
Why is this important?
Children who have a parent with a mental illness have been identified as having a greater chance of having mental health issues, and are one of the three high risk groups targeted under the Early Intervention Services for Parents, Children and Young People measure.
It has been estimated that between 21% and 23% of children living in an Australian household have at least one parent with a mental illness, and that between a third and two thirds of these children will experience difficulties.
Who benefits and what does the Children of Parents with a Mental Illness initiative deliver?
Families, service providers and mental health workers will benefit from access to useful information relating to the care of children that have a parent with a mental health illness. The information that has been developed includes:
- Piecing the Puzzle Together
A booklet for people living with a mental health problem or mental illness, whose children are aged between 2 and 7 years. It can be downloaded or ordered from the COPMI website at www.copmi.net.au. - Helping to Piece the Puzzle Together
A resource for early childhood workers to supplement the booklet Piecing the Puzzle Together. It can be downloaded or ordered from the COPMI website at www.copmi.net.au. - Principles and Actions for Services and People Working with Children of Parents with a Mental Illness
A document that provides guidance for both organisations and individuals. It can be downloaded or ordered from the COPMI website at www.copmi.net.au. - The Best For Me and My Baby
A booklet developed with and for women with a mental health problem or mental illness - and their partners - who are thinking about having a baby, are new parents or are about to have a baby. It can be downloaded or ordered from the COPMI website at www.copmi.net.au. - Family Talk
A booklet written with and for families in which a parent has a mental illness or mental health problem and contains tips and information for parents, children and young people and others who care. It can be downloaded or ordered from the COPMI website at www.copmi.net.au. - Saving Francesca
A set of resources designed to accompany the novel Saving Francesca by Melina Marchetta and designed to support teachers in developing student awareness of mental illness, reducing stigma, and increasing 'help seeking' behaviour. This can be downloaded from the COPMI website at www.copmi.net.au.
How does it work?
Children of Parents with a Mental Illness initiative is delivered by the Australian Infant, Child, Adolescent and Family Mental Health Association. The Association has been funded to develop resources and provide support in a number of key areas.
What funding is attached to this initiative?
$28.1 million was provided over five years (2006-2011) to the Early Intervention Services for Parents, Children and Young People measure. The Children of Parents with a Mental Illness initiative is one of the key components of this measure.
The Australian Infant, Child, Adolescent and Family Mental Health Association is being funded for $2.5 million in 2010-2012 to deliver the Children of Parents with a Mental Illness initiative.
When did the Children of Parents with a Mental Illness initiative start?
The Australian Government has funded initiatives relating to children of parents with a mental illness since 2001, under the National Mental Health Strategy.
How is the Children of Parents with a Mental Illness initiative progressing?
The Department funds the Australian, Infant, Child, Adolescent and Family Mental Health Association to conduct work aimed at generating better health outcomes for children of parents with a mental illness, focusing on the following areas:
- information provision, including new resources targeting fathers or partners who have a mental illness;
- workforce development and increased capacity to identify and respond across service systems;
- research analysis, including providing a clearinghouse for new relevant research;
- developing a strategic plan for achieving better mental health outcomes for children of parents with a mental illness;
- establishing and utilising a national reference group, including consumer and carer representatives to provide advice and enhance communication and consultation for the project;
- distribution of e-learning training resources for primary mental health workers and other allied workers; and
- continuing the promotion, prevention, production and distribution of COPMI information resources.
Examples of the work that the Association has previously undertaken include the development and dissemination of information resources for parents and workers in the early childhood age group and the development of an e-learning package that can be used with workers in various fields.
What's been done in the past?
The Australian, Infant, Child, Adolescent and Family Mental Health Association has been previously funded to develop a range of resources and to provide information on issues relating to children of parents with a mental illness.
Further Information
Project materials, worker support information and links to information on care and management of children that have a parent with a mental illness are available at http://www.copmi.net.au.
Page currency, Latest update: 04 November, 2010