Description
Presently, there is no facility in Prague or in the neighbouring Central Bohemian Region that provides systemic and comprehensive joint care for mothers and children. This project aims to change this situation by providing high-quality diagnostics, treatment and therapy facility for mothers and/or children with psychiatric diagnoses. The project will create a functioning system of support for mothers or parents whose child has a diagnosed mental disorder. It will also create a system of support for mothers who have difficulties caring for their child because of the psychiatric diagnosis and face the threat of having their child taken away from them to be put into foster care. The system includes both a maximum of out-patient elements to help make the families self-reliant, and elements of long-term field care. In the long-term, the project will help families to function independently and to avoid repeated hospitalization and the temporary or permanent removal of children from their care.
Summary of project results
Prior to the project implementation, there was no facility in the region of Prague and Central Bohemian Region that would provide systemic and comprehensive joint psychiatric care for mother and child - mother with/without psychiatric burden with child with/without psychiatric anamnesis. The aim of the project was to deepen co-operation of 2 departments that until that time dealt with the care of children with psychiatric diagnosis and mothers with psychiatric burden separately, without impact on the whole family. The goal of the project was to implement activities preventing, alleviating or eliminating the causes of the child in threat and providing parents and children with assistance and support to preserve the family as a whole. Thanks to the project, old units of the Child Psychiatry Department have become modern, well-equipped and well-functioning facilities in which child patients and their family members feel safe and comfortable and where they receive highly specialized care. The Children's Center has also created new modern ordinations in which highly specialized care for mothers with psychiatric diagnosis is provided. These mothers, due to their situation, have problem to care for their child and there is a risk that their child will be taken away from their custody. The purchase of new devices, therapeutic aids, diagnostic tests and IT technology has contributed to the significant improvement in the quality of the diagnostic and psychotherapeutic process and the competence of the medical staff have been increased (98 employees trained).The benefit of the project is primarily in the creation of a missing complex system that includes diagnostics, therapy and care of mother and child, training of their social skills and self-reliance with the maximum of outpatient elements. Results of the project contributed to the rehabilitation of the family without the necessity of repeated hospitalization of its members, temporary or long-term removal of children into substitute parental care. In the specialized outpatient departments of children's psychiatry and child neurology, 450 children were treated. There were 35 mothers with psychiatric/psychological diagnosis in in-patient or outpatient care in the Children's Center. In total, 485 clients were involved in the project. Thanks to the approved additional activity and the increase of the grant, the cooperation with the kindergarten and elementary school was more deepened. Created methodological materials are used for internal departmental purposes with possible further benefits for other care providers.
Summary of bilateral results