The Families where a Parent Has a Mental Illness (FaPMI) Program is a statewide strategy developed to improve services and resources for families where parents has had an episode of mental ill health. FaPMI work in collaboration with agencies via workforce development and training, systems and procedures development, and service partnerships for service delivery.
FaPMI co-ordinates a range of group programs for families, and partners with agencies to support families across all ages, including pregnancy, early years, primary and secondary school, adults, and grandparents.
FaPMI works with agencies across Eastern Melbourne to improve support for parents and carers, children, young people, and families. We do this by:
- Building shared understanding through fact sheets, books, and resources
- Partnering with services to co-ordinate and deliver peer support programs for children, young people and parents/carers
- Working with services to improve systems to better meet the needs of families
- Providing training, support and resources including secondary consultation for services who work with families where a parent has an episode of mental ill health.
“FaPMI’s vision is for whole of family wellbeing and recovery. We promote healthy relationships, open communication and connections within families, and support mental health services and the wider community to work collaboratively with families where parents experience mental health challenges”
Our program is founded on the following principles:
- Parents are experts in their own parenting needs, their children, and their circumstances.
- Relationships are the foundation of child development and support stable mental health.
- Recovery encompasses more than an individual; recovery is a family journey that can be supported by all mental health and wellbeing services.
- We acknowledge and value the lived experience of all family members facing mental health challenges and seek to embed this expertise throughout our program.