Course Overview

This course develops the understanding and skills needed to work with children and families who are experiencing difficulties due to one or more of the toxic trio - Mental Health, Domestic Abuse and Substance Misuse Issues.

The course will help participants:

• To consider the stigma that can be attached to mental illness and what professionals can do to support.
• To consider mental health in terms of the ‘family dynamic’ - the impact on the family, the families strengths, difficulties and building resilience.
• To have an increased understanding of the link between parental mental health and child protection. The impact on the child, building resilience and exploring some tools for practice.
• To consider issues in assessing parenting capacity. What questions to ask, identifying risk factors and when to flag the concerns. The competing needs, co-morbidity, working with other agencies and professionals.
• To consider the legislative framework
• To consider the practice tools for formulating assessments and identifying needs.
• Exploring the challenges for meeting needs in order to support children within their own families from a practice base and strategic perspective.
• Develop an understanding of dependence on substances and the impact of substance misuse on parental functions.
• Explore the possible impacts of substance misuse on child welfare and development within the Common Assessment Framework.
• To gain an understanding of how to support children and young people who are affected by parental substance misuse.
• To understand the use of processes of inter-agency working and information sharing.
• Understand definition of ‘domestic violence’, myths and stereotypes.
• Consider research on domestic violence.
• Understand impact of domestic violence on women and children and strategies for working effectively with families where domestic violence is an issue.
• Explore political, cultural and economic reasons why women stay in violent relationships.

Please contact us to find out more.