How can we better support parents/carers of children and young people with Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)?
Here, associates working on the CO-ASSIST programme share insights into the ongoing research in this area, and how you can get involved.
There is currently little evidence on the support needs of parents/carers of children with OCD or the help they would find most useful. To understand how to better support parents/carers of children and young people with OCD, a group of researchers from the University of Manchester, national mental health charities and people with lived experience came together to design a research project in three phases.
In phase one, we have spoken to parents and professionals involved in supporting children with OCD from a range of settings, such as CAMHS staff, staff from educational settings (including SEND staff) and staff from mental health charities to understand the needs of parents/carers. This phase has highlighted the importance of inviting professionals from all settings to support children with OCD to understand how we can best support parents/carers in the future and where a support strategy may be best placed.
Therefore for the final phases of our study, we would like to invite parents/carers and professionals (from various settings, including health, social care and educational settings) to come together during an online workshop to discuss and vote on the support strategies identified in Phase 1 and from published research. Finally, during Phase 3, a smaller group of parents/carers and professionals will attend a 2-hour on-line meeting to review the opinions from Phase 2 and select the most appropriate support strategy/resource to form a new parental support package.
Learn more about the workshop here.
Our aim long-term aim is to produce a new support package which helps parents/carers in their role of supporting a child or young person with OCD.
If you're looking for more ways to support the wellbeing of children and young people, providing a holistic approach in your school setting, our IG Schools handbook is available for download now.
