Young carers, young victims or young survivors

1
(No Transcript)
2
Young carers, young victims or young survivors?

• Seeing parental mental illnessthrough the eyes
  of children and young people
• Alan Cooklin

3
1999 Merseyside Young Carers

• then the worst thing was when the mental health
  services got involved
• How can we change that experience for children
  and young people ?

4
The Complaint

• No explanation
• (Worse still) No request for information or
  opinions from the child

5
The Need - as expressed by children and young
people

• To have a frank discussion about their parents
  illness.
• To know that there is an adult who will act as
  their advocate.
• ..many other expressed, and predictable needs
  can both be seen under this umbrella, and can be
  responded to if the above are adequately
  provided.
• .Video 1.

6
(No Transcript)
7

• And to meet the complaint, the explanations need
  to take account of what the children and young
  people may uniquely know themselves

8
Children and Young People may know more

• Indicators of relapse Video 2

9
(No Transcript)
10

• Indicators of relapse video 3.

11
(No Transcript)
12

• Indicators of relapse video 4

13
(No Transcript)
14
Swabrinas story.
Alecs story.
15
91 Unsuppported.! recent news headline

• National Young Carers Initiative of the
  Childrens Society report knowledge of 302
  projects in UK, caring for 50-100 young people
  (including those on waiting lists).
• Estimates 15,000 to 30,000 children and young
  people in Uk receiving some form of support.

16
Projects and estimates of need are for all Young
Carers, including physical and mental
disabilities in parents.

• 170,000 Young Carers in England and Wales
  estimated by Aldridge and Becker, of which
  overall approx. one third re. a parent with
  mental illness.
• Up to 1,000,000 children may be significantly
  affected by parental mental illness

17
A Dialectical explanation of mental illness

• Needs to be technical but does not imply that
  illness has only biological origins
• Needs to be 2-way both to juxtapose childs
  understanding with what is known, and
• To debate the different perspectives
• Video 5 Nathans last word.

18
(No Transcript)
19
A dialectical explanation of Parental Mental
Illness as the medium of work with children and
their parents

• Engages the childs competence
• Provides a medium which can connect child,
  parents and professionals
• Avoids dangers of patronisation

20
Video 6 Bethlehems adaptation of the Wise Mouse
21
(No Transcript)