Thinking families: A study of the characteristics of the workforce that delivers family‐focussed practice

Abstract

Parenting with mental illness is not uncommon and is often associated with a range of challenges for parents, children, and the family unit. Family-focussed practice involves the provision of services to the wider family system, including children. While family-focussed practice is important to consumers and their families, adult mental health practitioners do not routinely discuss parenting or children with their clients, nor work closely with the whole family. In the present study, we aimed to examine the characteristics of practitioners from Australian adult mental health services associated with family-focussed practices. Characteristics included sex, years of experience, location, and previous training in child and family-focussed practice. A total of 307 adult mental health practitioners from Victoria, Australia, responded to the Family Focused Mental Health Practice Questionnaire and a series of demographic items. The results indicated that particular practitioner characteristics predicted the delivery of family-focussed practice. Practitioner experience, sex, working in a rural location, and previous family- or child-related training were found to be important in the provision of family-focussed practice. More experienced, female, rurally-located, and well-trained practitioners undertake most family-focussed practice. These results suggest that training in family-focussed practice needs to be promoted, with considerations made for differing needs according to the characteristics of the adult mental health practitioner.

Mental health professionals’ family-focused practice with families with dependent children: a survey study

“…Similar findings have been reported by nurses in countries such as Ireland [ 36 ]. These variables have been identified as important enablers and predictors for family-focused practice [ 37 , 38 ]. This finding has implications for future workforce development in Thailand, where nurses may require more in-depth training in these particular areas.…”

Meeting the Intergenerational Needs of Families Where a Parent Has a Mental Illness

“…The reasons for this include: the focus in adult mental health settings on the individual client, rather than viewing the individual in the context of their family relationships and the needs of family members 11 ; the nature of administrative structures, funding requirements and organizational cultures, which mean that many organizations have a limited capacity to extend their practice to a family focused paradigm, [20][21][22] and practitioners' self-perception that they do not have the knowledge and skills to undertake family focused practice. [23][24][25] Not surprisingly, training alone -without support for practice development and organizational change -is rarely successful at addressing these barriers. 12 Several key international workforce development initiatives are moving away from an ineffective 'train and hope' strategy to address workforce barriers and create lasting practice change.…”

Family‐focused practice with EASE: A practice framework for strengthening recovery when mental health consumers are parents

“…Clinicians can find it challenging, however, to support parents in the context of their family due to a range of barriers including lack of relevant practice models and training (Goodyear et al . ; Maybery et al . ; Weimand et al .…”