Health and Social Care Professionals' FFP
Research type
Research Study
Full title
An investigation of health and social care professionals’ family focused practice with parents who have mental illness, their children and families in adult mental health and children’s services in Northern Ireland
IRAS ID
198770
Contact name
Anne Grant
Contact email
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 6 months, 31 days
Research summary
Parental mental illness (PMI) is a major public health issue. The mental health problems of parents may impact on children, and children’s experiences and difficulties may impact on parents (Beardslee et al., 2012; Nicholson et al., 2015).
Following the O’Neill Inquiry in 2006 the Think Family initiative was introduced in Northern Ireland (NI) by the Department of Health Social Services and Public Safety (DHSSPS) and the Health and Social Care Board (HSCB). This has resulted in a range of activities and projects to improve health and social care professionals’ understanding of family focused practice (FFP) and multidisciplinary working, while also improving the interface between these services. The overall aim has been to improve outcomes for families.
The HSCB has commissioned this study to examine health and social care professionals’ FFP. The study will include:(1) A review of the international literature on FFP;
(2) A postal and online survey with health and social care professionals working in children’s services and adult mental health services in the five HSC Trusts in NI to establish professional attitudes towards FFP and extent and predictors of FFP, using the Family Focused Mental Health Practice Questionnaire (FFMHPQ); and,
(3) Semi structured interviews with service users (approx 30) and health and social care professionals (approx 30) to explore the nature and scope of FFP, factors that enable and hinder it and how it may be further promoted.
The information generated in this benchmark of FFP will inform ongoing development and examination of Think Family initiatives in NI. Acquiring a good understanding of health and social care professionals’ perspectives is a crucial element in capacity building for better FFP. Furthermore, a fundamental requirement for improving FFP is ensuring the service user and families’ voice is heard, and incorporated into education & training as well as service design & delivery.
REC name
HSC REC B
REC reference
16/NI/0079
Date of REC Opinion
17 May 2016
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion