New training on parental mental illness with Our Time Charity

Self-study course will equip professionals with the skills to support children of parents with mental illness

Mental illness affects millions of individuals worldwide, and as many as one in three children have a parent with poor mental health (UK Household Longitudinal Study). Children growing up with a parent struggling with mental illness can often feel isolated and overwhelmed. Meanwhile, it can be difficult for the adults who come into contact with these children to comprehend their needs and offer meaningful support. This is why, in partnership with Our Time Charity, we are launching Supporting children of parents with mental illness: a systemic approach – a brand-new online training course.

Shona Grant, Course Lead and Senior Lecturer at The Tavistock and Portman NHS Foundation Trust said “The Tavistock and Portman NHS Foundation Trust and Our Time Charity have partnered together as we each recognise the urgent need to support children affected by parental mental illness. Our ambition is that our new training will provide awareness of this issue and equip professionals with the confidence and the skills to help these children thrive.” 

Suitable for professionals working with children, young people and families, the new self-study course offers an introduction to parental mental illness and a systemic exploration of its effect on children’s cognitive, social, and emotional development. Through lived experienced testimonies, interactive lectures, videos and quizzes, learners will consider how a whole-family approach can promote engagement and encourage children, young people and families to be actively involved in decisions about their care. 

Jade Cormack, Course Lead and Development Manager at Our Time Charity shared “Any professional who works with families, children and young people has likely encountered the impact of parental mental illness firsthand but knowing how best to support these young people can feel daunting and it’s not always easy to know what to do. However, with mental health difficulties on the rise, early intervention has never been more important. We’ve developed this course to empower professionals with the confidence to apply their own knowledge and skills to support this often-hidden group, helping children and young children to build resilience and lead happy and fulfilling lives.”

Shona Grant added to this saying “By offering this course in a flexible, self-study online format, we aim to reach participants from all over the world, ensuring that as many professionals as possible have access to the resources they need to provide effective support to families.” 

Commenting on the partnership, Jade Cormack said “Our Time Charity was established in 2012 following 10 years of research and development into the impact of parental mental illness on children and young people. For over a decade, we have been the UK’s only dedicated charity for young people whose parents have a mental illness, and our work is backed by a unique, evidence-based approach designed in consultation with families, practitioners and academics.  

We are delighted to be partnering with The Tavistock and Portman NHS Foundation Trust and their world-class expertise to help professionals across a variety of sectors enrich their practice and improve the support available to families within their settings.”