Mental Health and Social Inclusion, Volume 22, Issue 3, Page 114-120, June 2018.
Purpose The purpose of this paper is to highlight how mental health recovery may involve family members and supporting the needs of parents who become mental health service users. Policies now recognise the importance of family but how much are they implemented? Design/methodology/approach A search was carried out for recent papers (past 12 months) on mental health services and the family. Findings Two papers summarise recent research on family involvement in mental health services. As well as highlighting what prevents families being involved in mental health services and care planning, they discuss what works and some challenges of involvement. A third paper highlights how parents who become service users can have their parenting needs supported as part of their recovery. Originality/value All three papers highlight recent developments in relation to the family and recovery. Despite policies about family involvement, there is a need for organisational change to fully incorporate the social nature of mental health and recovery. The papers suggest ways forward based on examples of what works.