Integrated Services for Children of Parents with Mental Illness

Integrated Services are designed to prevent mental disorders and deviant behavior among children whose parents are receiving services from the public mental health system and to improve outcomes for adult clients who are parents (an estimated 10%). Integrated Services approach is designed to change policies and practices related to intake screening, assessment and service planning in order to incorporate issues related to the parenting role and children's needs into the service for the adult. Reliance on linking children to available community services, crisis planning and respite care are important components.

Integrated Services in initial community mental health services programs has resulted in adult and children service teams, access to community funds to underwrite respite care and to pay for resource materials, location of resource materials at the local library, agreement by local Early On to provide service coordination, and automatic access to Head Start for children of parents with mental illness.

Contact: Mary Ludtke (517) 241 5769, Ludtkem@michigan.gov

             Sheri Falvay (517) 241-5762, Falvays@michigan.gov