"Let's Talk about Children": A pilot evaluation of an e-learning resource for mental health clinicians

BackgroundGiven the prevalence of parental mental illness, accessible opportunities are needed to enhance clinicians' capacity for working with parents, in an early intervention framework. The Let's Talk about Children e-learning resource aims to provide clinicians with skills to empower parents to support their family. This pilot study examines clinicians' views regarding the acceptability of the resource and assesses its effectiveness in developing clinicians' attitude, skill, and knowledge when working with parents with a mental illness. MethodsA sequential mixed-method design was employed. There were 21 mental health clinicians (primarily nurses, social workers, and psychologists) who completed the Family-Focused Workforce Questionnaire, pre- and post-training with the e-learning resource. All 21 participants were offered a post-training interview to discuss their experience of the resource, and 8 participants accepted. ResultsThe e-learning resource was effective at enhancing participants' practices, such as assessing the impact of mental illness on parenting and child development, and providing information and resources to families. Participants recognised the importance of empowering parents, although noted that further organisational support was required to implement the intervention. ConclusionsPreliminary results tentatively indicate that the e-learning resource may be an effective professional development tool for clinicians. Future research is required to ascertain its long-term impact.