How nurses can use their skills to support children of parents with a mental illness

Children who have parents who are suffering with a mental illness (sometimes called CoPMI) face challenges that can be emotionally and psychologically overwhelming.

Preventing these worries from building up can lessen their risk of developing poor mental health themselves, so nurses, whether based in schools or across the healthcare sector, are critical figures within their support network.

Children who have parents who are suffering from a mental illness often feel misunderstood and assume responsibility for their parent’s mental health condition. In many cases, young people are called upon by professionals to give context to their parent’s behaviours or medications, meaning that care for them does not always come first.

There are 5 simple steps that you can take to acknowledge the experiences of children, reframe their perspective, and help them to feel seen and heard:

1) If your patient is an adult, ask if they are a parent too

If you are involved in the diagnosis or care plan for an adult who is accessing mental health services, ask about their family structure. Establishing whether a patient has children to consider helps to facilitate a whole-family approach, so that you can better support them as a parent and understand the potential impact of their illness on their daily life as a caregiver.

2) Encourage open and honest family conversations

If a child is present, take a moment to ascertain the their understanding of the situation. This can help to build trust and enables you to address their concerns or correct any misconceptions they may have.

Your knowledge and open-mindedness can empower families to have honest conversations about mental health.

If you're finding it difficult to speak to a child about their parent's mental illness, try using our mental health and wellbeing resources, such as our Sammy Bear booklets, produced in partnership with South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation.

3) Increase your own understanding of parental mental health

School nurses in particular regularly offer social and emotional support to young people on a wide range of topics, creating a safe and supportive environment for children to talk openly about their feelings and concerns.

Increasing your own knowledge of parental mental illness by reading the latest research or undertaking health and social care training will help you offer the right productive coping strategies and ensure a compassionate approach.

4) Support families to access mental health services

Nurses are well-positioned to help families access mental health services and available resources to help them thrive. This might be as simple as sharing appropriate guidance or making referrals to colleagues across the sector.

5) Encourage a compassionate approach in your healthcare setting

It’s important that children of parents with a mental illness get the right care and support. As a healthcare professional, you can help to advocate for the needs of young people and encourage your school or healthcare setting to foster a compassionate, whole-family approach.

You have an important role to play by becoming an advocate for children growing up with a parent with mental illness. You can help us to raise awareness of our philosophy through your networks, whether that’s by liking and sharing on social media, or sharing our resources. 

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