Abstract
Enhancing family involvement in a department of psychiatry, requires more than guidelines or interventions implemented by professional caregivers. This paper describes the development of multi-party dialogue between inpatients, family caregivers, professional caregivers and family organisations and applied change management strategies evolving to an effective family participation model. Phase 1 considers pre-existing practices and collaborations. Phase 2 initiates a change management process and multi-party dialogue. Phase 3 is future work. A shift in culture re-focuses attention towards family caregivers on all levels of the ‘Family Reflex’, which refers to a multidisciplinary family policy with clear guidelines.