Clients’ and Professionals’ Experiences of Traversing Mental Health and Child Protection Systems: Implications for Practice

Support services for families where a parent has a mental illness need to address the well-being of both parent and child, and must operate across the boundaries of 2 traditionally separate service systems: child protection/family support and mental health. This article draws on survey data on child protection and mental health professionals’ attitudes toward parents with mental illness, as well as interview data from 4 parent–worker dyads in cases involving parental mental illness and child protection concerns. Together, the findings indicate the need for support services tailored to the needs of parents with mental illness. Specifically, these services must engage with mental illness-related issues such as limited insight, episodic unwellness, and the need for ongoing active support and follow-up.