Children's Needs – Parenting Capacity - Digital Education Resource ...

Introduction 11Parental mental illnessThe Government is committed to‘protecting the population from serious health threats; helping people live longer,healthier and more fulfilling lives; and improving the health of the poorest, fastest;and lifting families out of poverty.’(Cm 7985 2010, p.4(1))Poor mental health is a key component of the overall burden of longstandingillness within the general population and is responsible for the greatest proportion ofworking days lost (Health and Safety Executive 2010). In its strategy for improvingpublic health in England, the Government has identified the need to target a rangeof issues including mental illness, heavy drinking and drug misuse (Cm 7985 2010).It recognises that no single agency can do this alone. ‘Responsibility needs to be sharedright across society – between individual, families, communities, local government,business, the NHS, voluntary and community organisations, the wider public sector andcentral government’ (Cm 7985 2010, p.24, paragraph 2.5). The Cross-Governmentmental health outcomes strategy sets out plans to ensure mental health awarenessand treatment (for children as well as adults) are given the same prominence asphysical health. Six objectives are highlighted:(i) More people will have good mental health(ii) More people with mental health problems will recover(iii) More people with mental health problems will have good physical heath(iv) More people will have a positive experience of care and support(v) Fewer people will suffer avoidable harm(vi) Fewer people will experience stigma and discrimination(HM Government 2011, p.6, paragraph 1.5)Children are at the heart of this strategy. It acknowledges that some parents ‘willrequire additional support to manage anxiety and depression during pregnancy and thechild’s early years...’ (HM Government 2011, p.39, paragraph 5.5). The aim is tointervene early with ‘vulnerable children and young people in order to improve lifetimehealth and wellbeing, prevent mental illness and reduce costs incurred by ill health,unemployment and crime’ (p.9, paragraph 1.15). It is anticipated early interventionwill bring benefits not only to the individual during childhood and into adulthood,but also improve his or her capacity to parent.Adults may experience a single or a combination of issues, such as poor mental healthand learning disability, substance misuse and domestic violence, and require a range ofservices in order to remain independent. A Vision for Adult Social Care acknowledges thatsome people will need social care support because of the effects of long term conditions.