Children's Representatives in Psychiatric Services : What Is the Outcome?

Background: Psychiatric services have established children’s representatives in an effort to support children of mentally ill patients. Material: Twenty two specially designated children’s representatives and 19 other staff members were asked how they conceived the role of children’s repre-sentatives and if those representatives had the responsibility of identifying children of mentally ill patients. Discussion: Children’s representatives expressed difficulty in functioning as advocates for children whose parents were being treated for mental illness. Members of the psychiatric staff, although aware their patients had children, seldom met them since they focused on the adults. Conclusions: More than one third of all patients seeking psychiatric care have children, yet children’s representatives and other staff members seldom meet them