The Department of Health (DOH), Division of Mental Health, Drugs and Regions (previously known as Department of Human Services, Division of Mental Health and Drugs) developed and funded a Service Development Strategy for Families where a Parent has a Mental Illness (FaPMI) in 2007, after the completion of the VicChamps and PATS projects in September 2006. These projects aimed to increase resilience and social connectedness of children and young people with a parent with a mental illness, reduce stigma associated with mental illness, and enhance community capacity to assist these families through partnerships between sectors and services, peer support programs, work force development and whole of community education.
The FaPMI Strategy builds on these objectives by establishing a number of positions that work with mental health services, community organizations, consumers, carers and families, and other service providers to improve the way support is provided to families and children where a parent has a mental illness. The aim is to develop family focussed services working together to support these families including children aged 0-18.
In 2008 additional funding was secured to enhance FaPMI to include working with Alcohol and Other Drug (AOD) treatment services, and Integrated Family Services (IFS) which incorporates Child FIRST and Family Services. In addition, limited brokerage funding is available to FaPMI Coordinators to support direct service delivery to FaPMI families. All FaPMI funding is recurrent.
The FaPMI strategy is being implemented by The Bouverie Centre. Nationally, we work closely with the National COPMI (Children of Parents with a Mental Illness) Initiative, based in Adelaide (www.copmi.net.au).
The structure of FaPMI is represented in the following chart, which shows Area Mental Health Services with FaPMI regional co-ordinators in the context of DOH regions.
