Parents with mental health problems and their children

This Department of Health and Social Care Institute for Excellence briefing summarises why it is important to address the needs of parents with mental health problems and ensure that they and their children receive support. It describes the potential of the Care Programme Approach (CPA) to improve outcomes for affected families. The new CPA guidance recommends that the needs of the parent, the child and the family are assessed routinely at each stage of the care pathway from referral to review. Service activity data should be recorded, collected and used to inform local commissioning, reviewing eligibility criteria for access to assessment and services, as well as professional training and development. In addition, this briefing also references key related policy, guidelines, practice developments and further reading.