You Said, We Did - Parent Carer Panel Evaluation Survey – Mental Health Support
This survey was launched as Mental Health is a key topic/area within the Best Start for Life Period (pregnancy to 2 years). Parents were offered the opportunity to give us their views.
194 responses
Awareness of mental health services and ability to access services
Though most respondents were either aware of professional mental health services available to them and confident to access them, or preferred to rely on family and friends for mental health support, 70.1% did not know what mental health support is offered through Family Hubs. 40.2% responded that cost had an influence on their decision to seek mental health support.
Mental health support for children and young people
Of the 48 participants who had sought mental health support for a child, 72.92% responded that their experience had been negative: “It was difficult to access support and/or the level of support was not sufficient.” Many comments highlighted the long waiting time for access to services for children and young people as well as the difficulties around communication between professionals which might lead to being passed between different services. Though not a service directly provided by Family Hubs, a lot of feedback received related to access to CAMHS
Effect of mental health on parent infant relationships
Of 194 respondents, 45 answered that they felt their mental health had impacted on their relationship with their child. Of these, 28.9% said that they had not been able to access support around building relationships with their child.
Promotion of existing services
It seems that more could be done to let families know about the mental health support they are currently able to access through Family Hubs. This may be a good opportunity to collaborate with colleagues in Health and the VCFSE sector to provide families with clear, concise, and timely information about existing services. Particular emphasis should be placed on services that are free to access (to alleviate any concerns families may have about costs, as outlined above) as well as talking therapies that may be as useful to families as accessing medication through their GP.
Sessions to support parental mental health
Interestingly, when asked what type of mental health support they would like to access through Family Hubs, over 40% responded that they felt they would benefit from informal activities such as a walk and talk or craft session. This supports comments made in our previous Parent Carer Panel, whereby participants felt that a peer support group may not always be useful to them and may leave parents feeling “awkward and anxious.” Instead, participants commented that a more informal session, perhaps with the opportunity to take part in a simple creative activity, would open up avenues for more natural conversation: “It’s easier to talk when there’s no expectation to!”
Some organisations – such as Dad Matters – already offer this type of support. As well as promoting these sessions where they already exist, Family Hubs could examine if there is scope to provide this kind of support session for parents alongside, and as an alternative to, the current mental health offer. This would also provide a form of early intervention for emerging mental health difficulties before the need to visit the GP or engage with a professional on a more formal basis may arise.
Addressing mental health concerns linked specifically to parenting
The findings above outline a number of specific ways in which parents responded that they feel anxious in their roles. This was evident in the responses received from parents of children with SEND, who felt that they required more mental health support in order to care for their child and therefore thrive as a family. Working with Portage and OKE, Family Hubs could map the current offer for parents in SEND families, identifying any existing services that parents could be signposted towards to support their mental health as well as any gaps for development.
