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| Version 2 | Version 3 |
|---|---|
| Psychiatric wards 'neglect' duty to parents | Psychiatric wards 'neglect' duty to parents |
| (about 3 hours later) | |
| By Eleanor Bradford BBC Scotland Health Correspondent | By Eleanor Bradford BBC Scotland Health Correspondent |
| Psychiatric hospitals must consider the children of those who are given compulsory mental health treatment, according to a health watchdog. | Psychiatric hospitals must consider the children of those who are given compulsory mental health treatment, according to a health watchdog. |
| The Mental Welfare Commission says most healthcare staff are unaware of their responsibilities to help parents to maintain contact with their children. | The Mental Welfare Commission says most healthcare staff are unaware of their responsibilities to help parents to maintain contact with their children. |
| It has recommended that hospitals provide child-friendly spaces. | It has recommended that hospitals provide child-friendly spaces. |
| And it urges providing information that can explain mental illness to children in a way they understand. | And it urges providing information that can explain mental illness to children in a way they understand. |
| It also recommends that the family circumstances of patients is properly assessed. | It also recommends that the family circumstances of patients is properly assessed. |
| George Kappler, chief social work officer at the MWC, said: "When the state intervenes to disrupt the normal parent-child relationship, there is a duty placed on the state to try to mitigate the impact of that as much as possible." | George Kappler, chief social work officer at the MWC, said: "When the state intervenes to disrupt the normal parent-child relationship, there is a duty placed on the state to try to mitigate the impact of that as much as possible." |
| This duty was enshrined in a new Mental Health (Scotland) Act in 2003. | This duty was enshrined in a new Mental Health (Scotland) Act in 2003. |
| Not recorded | Not recorded |
| Mr Kappler said. "Section 278 is buried deep in an act which is 330 pages long. | Mr Kappler said. "Section 278 is buried deep in an act which is 330 pages long. |
| "It's a pretty progressive piece of legislation, but we feel a lot of people still aren't aware of it." | "It's a pretty progressive piece of legislation, but we feel a lot of people still aren't aware of it." |
| When the MWC looked at a sample of paperwork, it found at least a quarter of patients had children under the age of 18, but this had not been recorded. | When the MWC looked at a sample of paperwork, it found at least a quarter of patients had children under the age of 18, but this had not been recorded. |
| "Sometimes it comes down to leadership on a ward, or the training people had received," Mr Kappler added. | "Sometimes it comes down to leadership on a ward, or the training people had received," Mr Kappler added. |
| "There were some pockets of good practice perhaps because people were parents themselves. | "There were some pockets of good practice perhaps because people were parents themselves. |
| "It was inconsistent across the country, although everyone recognised it was good practice." | "It was inconsistent across the country, although everyone recognised it was good practice." |
| Susan Clelland spent long periods in psychiatric hospital throughout her daughter's life, being treated for bipolar disorder. Like many wards, hers had no child-friendly area for visitors. | Susan Clelland spent long periods in psychiatric hospital throughout her daughter's life, being treated for bipolar disorder. Like many wards, hers had no child-friendly area for visitors. |
| She said: "It would have been nice if there had been a room where we could have sat and talked. | She said: "It would have been nice if there had been a room where we could have sat and talked. |
| "We had to sit in a general room where you had people who were very, very ill. | "We had to sit in a general room where you had people who were very, very ill. |
| Bedtime stories | Bedtime stories |
| "They would upset her because they would come up and talk to her, clearly not very well at all." | "They would upset her because they would come up and talk to her, clearly not very well at all." |
| Mrs Clelland found her own solution. "I recorded quite a few bedtime stories and she played that tape at night so she could hear my voice," she recalled. | Mrs Clelland found her own solution. "I recorded quite a few bedtime stories and she played that tape at night so she could hear my voice," she recalled. |
| "It meant she had that regularity of my voice reading to her, even though I wasn't there." | "It meant she had that regularity of my voice reading to her, even though I wasn't there." |
| Mrs Clelland managed to maintain a good relationship with her daughter. | |
| "I think people with a mental illness have to work harder to be good parents," she added. | "I think people with a mental illness have to work harder to be good parents," she added. |
| "We try harder because we know there is so much against us. | "We try harder because we know there is so much against us. |
| "When I was well we had a lot of fun and I think that stood us in good stead for the bad times." | "When I was well we had a lot of fun and I think that stood us in good stead for the bad times." |