Caring For The Carers

Parents of children and young people suffering from mental health problems spend more than 36 hours a week directly supporting or caring for them. Unsurprisingly, this has its impact on their own wellbeing-from mental and physical health struggles to worrying about work and finances.

And while many will be looking forward to the Summer break with time to relax and enjoy their families, others will be facing weeks without the respite or shared care that school and term time bring.

Parenting Mental Health was founded by Suzanne Alderson. She supported her daughter through her crisis and recognised the isolation faced by parents in her position. Her vision was to create a supportive, empowering community for which she has now received global recognition.

As a key part of its mission, “Parenting Mental Health” published a pivotal report that sheds light on the struggles millions of parents face while caring for children with mental health issues. This report is the first of its kind, offering an in-depth look at the lived experiences of parents across the UK. It explores the impact on them from their own mental and physical health struggles to worrying about work finances and relationships.

NHS figures confirm that one in four children and young people now have a diagnosable mental health condition. Poor access to services and long waiting lists are not improving either so it’s not surprising that more than half of parents surveyed for this report experienced long waiting times when trying to access mental health services for their child. Perhaps of greater concern is the finding that the majority of parents (86.22%) said they ‘sometimes’, ‘usually’ or‘always’ felt their concerns about their child’s mental health were not taken seriously by medical professionals, with only 13.78% saying they‘rarely’ or ‘never’ had such concerns.

If you or someone you know is facing any of these issues, “Parenting Mental Health” is a crucial resource. Resources include free guides on common challenges for parents and a chat and connect service.