Children of parents with a mental illness recognised in new statutory guidance

The UK Government has agreed to a landmark amendment to the Mental Health Bill 2025, recognising children of parents with a mental illness.

24 October 2025

Dympna Cunnane, Our Time Charity

One in three children has a parent with poor mental health (UK Household Longitudinal Study, 2020) and these children are much more likely to develop a mental illness themselves.

The Bill, which is in the final implementation stage after having passed through the House of Lords and the House of Commons, updates the statutory guidance for adult mental health services via the Mental Health Act Code of Practice.

This new guidance mandates that professionals:

• identify whether patients are parents and incorporate questions about dependent children in Advance Choice Documents – an advance decision-making tool for patients
• share information about available support
• make referrals for young carers’ assessments

Research has shown that currently just one in three staff in mental health inpatient settings routinely ask whether a patient is a parent (Dr Abby Dunn, University of Sussex).

This is the first time statutory guidance explicitly obliges mental health professionals to identify and support these vulnerable children.

Supporting professionals who work with children and young people affected by parental mental illness

Despite the positive changes to the Mental Health Act Code of Practice, awareness of the needs of children whose parents have a mental illness remains low. Support at the local level is limited, leaving many families going unnoticed and unsupported. This gap highlights the urgent need for trained professionals who understand how to effectively engage and assist these children and their families.

Our Time Charity, the UK’s only charity supporting children of parents with a mental illness, has partnered with the Tavistock and Portman to offer an essential opportunity for health and social care providers to develop the necessary knowledge and skills to address this issue.

Our specialised training combines online self-study and live teaching to support specific workforce needs. Drawing on insights from Scandinavian countries where similar legislation has been in place for over two decades, Supporting children of parents with a mental illness: a systemic approach blends theory, guidance and a practical toolkit to ensure successful implementation and real impact.