Promotional Information

Essential reading for professionals who support families affected by parental mental illness and substance misuse

Table of Contents

List of Practice Examples. Preface. Acknowledgements. Introduction. 1. Context, Legislation and Policy. 2. The Potential Impact on Children and Families. 3. What Helps Build Resilience in These Families? 4. Professional Responses and Barriers to Effective Practice. 5. How Can Services Support Families More Effectively at the Practice Level? 6. What Else Can Services Do to Support Families More Effectively at the Strategic Level? 7. Conclusion. Further Resources. Bibliography. Appendix.

About the Author

Emma Sawyer has worked as a social worker, manager and trainer, she has extensive experience of working with children and families with complex and challenging needs. Whilst working for National Children's Bureau, Emma published several resources on how services can best work together to support parenting more effectively.

Sheryl Burton is Programme Director of National Children's Bureau's Health and Social Care programme. Prior to joining NCB, Sheryl worked as a social work practitioner and team leader, specialising in work with children and families on the threshold of care. Sheryl has extensive experience of working with frontline practitioners and services to develop practice to support children and families more effectively and has written a number of publications for NCB.

Reviews

This handbook has been designed to meet the needs of practitioners across a wide range of agencies, including of course local authorities, and it should help those working in these complex circumstances to translate the concept of resilience into practice reality. It provides models, frameworks and crucially real examples in order to assist professionals in their task of helping families with complex needs to better meet their children's needs.
*From the Foreword by Allison O'Sullivan, President of the Association of Directors of Children’s Services and Director of Children’s Services in Kirklees*

This thoughtful, well-researched and practical book makes a robust contribution to the literature in this complex area of practice. The range of approaches and interventions discussed - illustrated by practice examples from a range of sources - will assist a wide range of professionals to work more effectively together to assess and support families affected by parental mental health and substance misuse, while ensuring that children's voices are heard and their needs never get lost.
*Dr. Brynna Kroll, Co-author of Parental Substance Misuse & Child Welfare, Independent Trainer & Consultant and Parenting Assessor with Somerset’s Family Assessment & Support Team*