Are we starting to 'think family'? Evidence from a case file audit of parents and children supported by mental health, addictions and children's services

The Health and Social Care Board in Northern Ireland commissioned an audit of social work case files from across service teams to establish whether Think Family Northern Ireland (Think Family NI) and FFP have become embedded across three different services (Community Mental Health Teams (CMHTs), and addictions and children's services). The audit sought to: identify the extent to which these services co-worked to support families;highlight good practice;and identify areas for improvement. A random sample of files was selected from the three services in four of the five Health and Social Care Trusts, the main statutory provider of services in Northern Ireland. Data were collected from 108 case files. The COVID-19 lockdown ended fieldwork prematurely and electronic data from some files were unavailable (n = 12). Of the 103 families in the final sample, the mother was the primary focus in 85% of cases and, in total, parents had caring responsibilities for 258 children, the majority of whom were aged under 16 years. Joint planning was only evident in 18.5% of cases. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)

A Research Publication and Grant Preparation Program for Native American Faculty in STEM: Implementation of the Six R's Indigenous Framework.

Faculty members in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) disciplines are typically expected to pursue grant funding and publish to support their research or teaching agendas. Providing effective professional development programs on grant preparation and management and on research publications is crucial. This study shares the design and implementation of such a program for Native STEM faculty (NAF-STEM) from two tribal colleges and one public, non-tribal, Ph.D. granting institution during a 3-year period. The overall development and implementation of the program is centered on the six R's Indigenous framework - Respect, Relationship, Representation, Relevance, Responsibility, and Reciprocity. The role of NAF-STEM and their interactions with the program, as members of the community formed by their participation, impacted the program. Their practices and the program co-emerged over time, each providing structure and meaning for the other. Through such reciprocity, NAF-STEM and the program research team continually refined the program through their mutual engagement. They took on the shared responsibility of the program while they participated in and shaped its practices. The process and results of formative and summative assessment and the impact of COVID-19 on the program are reported. Results of the program offer lessons on the implementation of six R's framework in professional development at institutions of higher education.

Covid-19 and Families With Parental Mental Illness: Crisis and Opportunity.

The COVID-19 emergency has affected us all, but not equally. Families where parents have mental illness (PMI) are potentially at increased risk, but little is known about how they or their support services managed under lockdown/restrictions. We harnessed our existing partnerships with adult and child mental health services in the Republic of Ireland (RoI) and Northern Ireland (NI) to investigate the qualitative experiences of service users and families in coping during the first COVID-19 lockdown (March-May 2020), and how services were supporting them. Semi-structured phone/online interviews were conducted with 22 clinicians/managers (12 from RoI; 10 from NI) who provided information from their caseloads (~155 families with PMI). Sixteen family members (10 from RoI, 6 from NI) were also interviewed. Data were analysed using standard thematic analysis. Sixty percent of families reported improved mental health, primarily due to respite from daily stresses and the "normalisation" of mental distress in the general population. Approximately 30%, typically with more severe/enduring mental illness, reported additional challenges, and mental distress including: unmanageable child behaviours; fear of relapse/hospitalisation; financial difficulties; absence of child care; and a lack of routines. Service provision varied considerably across regions. The experiences within this case study highlight unique opportunities to address the multiple stresses of pre-emergency daily living. We also highlight how mental health services and governments might become more "pandemic ready" to more effectively support vulnerable families, including addressing service overload issues, optimising the use of digital technologies, and providing in-person contact and social supports where required.