Parental Mental Ill Health
Last updated: September 19, 2008
Table of Contents
2. Risk Factors
A child at risk of significant harm or whose well-being is adversely affected could be a child:
- who features within parental delusions;
- who is involved in his / her parent?s obsessional compulsive behaviours;
- who becomes a target for parental aggression or rejection;
- who has caring responsibilities inappropriate to his / her age;
- who may witness disturbing behaviour arising from the mental illness (e.g. self-harm, suicide, uninhibited behaviour, violence, murder);
- who is neglected physically and / or emotionally by an unwell parent;
- who does not live with the unwell parent, but has contact e.g. formal unsupervised contact sessions or the parent sees the child in visits to the home or on overnight stays;
- who is at risk of severe injury, profound neglect or death;
- who has unsupported and / or isolated mentally ill parents;
- who has parents who are unable to anticipate needs of the child;
- who has a restricted social and recreational activities because of parents mental health
Or s/he could be an unborn child:
- of a pregnant woman with any previous major mental health disorder, including disorders of schizophrenic, any affective or schizo-affective type; also, severe personality disorders involving known risk of harm to self and / or others.
The following factors may impact upon parenting capacity and increase concerns that a child may have suffered or is at risk of suffering significant harm:
- history of mental health problems with an impact on the sufferer?s functioning;
- unmanaged mental health problems with an impact on the sufferer?s functioning;
- maladaptive coping strategies:
- misuse of drugs, alcohol, or medication;
- severe eating disorders;
- self-harming and suicidal behaviour;
- lack of insight into illness and impact on child, or insight not applied;
- non-compliance with treatment;
- poor engagement with services;
- previous or current compulsory admissions to mental health hospital;
- disorder deemed long term ?untreatable?, or untreatable within timescales compatible with child?s best interests;
- mental health problems combined with domestic abuse and / or relationship difficulties;
- mental health problems combined with isolation and / or poor support networks;
- mental health problems combined with criminal offending (forensic);
- non-identification of the illness by professionals (e.g. untreated post-natal depression can lead to significant attachment problems);
- previous referrals to children?s social care with concerns about other children.
Further advice should be sought from adult mental health services; these agencies have named nurses / doctors / professionals for safeguarding children and are there to offer advice if necessary.
