When I first became aware of the fact that 1 out of 10 children suffer from a severe mental disorder, I was literally stunned. Worse yet, only 1 out of 5 of these children get needed services and treatment: a crisis by no other name, wouldn't you agree?
Imagine these kids sitting in classrooms, unable to learn, not reading and paying no attention; an invisible population soon to become disturbingly visible later in life. Needless to say, children's mental health disorders persist into adulthood. Seventy-four percent of 21 year olds with mental disorders had prior problems. They will now enter the workforce and have a direct impact on productivity, absenteeism and turnover rates.
But what about the stress and strain on their families, unpaid caregivers, who are currently paid workers in companies like XYZ Company? Considering the fact that family support is a critical element in addressing the issues of children's mental health, the following facts are sobering indeed:
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48% of parents of children with mental health disorders reported that at some time they had to quit work to care for their children.
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27% indicated that their employment had been terminated because of work interruptions due to care responsibilities.
Of those who were unemployed (17%), 11% reported that they were currently unable to find a job because of the demands of care giving. The crisis is escalating, and will undoubtedly become a major preoccupation for families, schools, businesses and government agencies for years to come. We, the United Advocates for Children and Families, believe strongly that working together we can make a difference. We need advice and feedback from the community at large in general and families and youth impacted.
Employed parents having children with mental health difficulties must respond to the demanding needs of the workplace while also:
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Arranging for and participating in planning their children's treatment;
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Seeing that their educational needs are met; and
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Providing nurturing child care.
This is indeed a work-life issue. Collectively, we must seek to identify levers of change in the workplace and community:
Workplace and Awareness: Increased awareness and knowledge of the experiences of employed parents of children with emotional or behavioral disorder for Human Resource professionals.
Workplace Supports: Improvement in the capacity of the workplace to support work-life integration of these parents.
Family Access to Support: Greater awareness of and access to employment-based supports for families that promote participation in the workplace and community life.
The word "flexibility" has taken on new dimensions for parent care givers. Parents valued "being able to take the time off to do whatever was necessary to meet the needs of their children." Some families have reported flexible work scheduling, being allowed to work from home, telecommuting and
shifting job duties.
Work-Life Integration refers to the degree to which people are able to find a functional and satisfactory level of assimilation in their work and personal lives. How we balance the two is an issue we all must address; whether as employers, employees or just simply the community-at-large.
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