This section is about mental illness and child protection issues. Parents living with mental health conditions experience the same challenges that all parents face, but may also be managing the symptoms of their condition at the same time. Almost all parents with a mental illness are able to care for their children, but some may need additional support from family, friends and health professionals at times. People with mental health conditions who have family responsibilities may have concerns about their parenting capacityCapacity refers to a person’s ability to make his/her own decisions and give informed consent. These may be small decisions, such as what to do each day, or bigger decisions like where to live or whether to have a medical procedure. A person may lack capacity in some areas, but still be able to make other decisions. More when they are unwell.
If you are separated from your spouse or partner and you disagree about how your children should be cared for, these disagreements are usually resolved through family law.
However, if another person or organisation is worried about how you are looking after your children who are under eighteen (18) years of age, then this is likely to be dealt with by child protection workers from the NSW Department of Communities and Justice (DCJ) and possibly involve an order from the Children’s Court.
In NSW, the law that protects children and young people from harm and abuse is the Children and Young Persons (Care and Protection) Act 1998. Under this law, the safety, welfare and well-being of the child or young person are always the most important factors in a decision made about them. As far as possible, the child or young person is also encouraged to be involved in decisions being made about them.
In this section on the care and protection system in NSW, you can find out more about:
People with mental health conditions who have children may be worried about losing care of their children through the child protection system. The child protection system is set up under NSW laws and the two main organisations that are involved are the NSW Department of Communities and Justice (DCJ) and the Children’s Court of NSW.
DCJ is responsible for responding to concerns about risk of significant (serious) harm to children and young people. The Children’s Court is responsible for making formal orders for care of children.
When you see a health care professional or ask for advice from a professional or service providerIn the context of the NDIS, a provider is someone who provides products or services to assist NDIS participants to achieve the goals outlined in their plan. If you do not self-manage any of your NDIS funding, as an NDIS participant you are required to use providers who are registered with the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission. All registered NDIS providers; must implement and comply with appropriate WHS and quality management systems, that meet NDIS practice standard requirements, the NDIS rules, and are relevant to the NDIS supports delivered. In the context of mental health and psychosocial services, a provider may be any service that provide clinical care and treatment or psychosocial rehabilitation and support services including, but not limited to housing, employment, education and training as well as information and advocacy services. More about yourself or your children, your conversation with them is usually confidential. This means that they would be acting against their professional code of conduct or unethically if they were to tell anyone else what you said.
In NSW, there is an exception to this rule that requires people in certain jobs to report any risk of significant harm to a child or children, even if it is contained within confidential information. This rule is called ‘mandatory reporting’.
People in the following types of jobs have to report to DCJ if they have a reasonable cause for concern on the basis that they suspect that a child is at risk of, or is being, abused or neglected:
This means that if someone is reasonably worried that your mental health conditionThe term mental health condition is a broad term that refers to symptoms that may be caused by life events, genetic factors or birth defects. This condition can be temporary, episodic or lifelong. A mental health condition can include mood, anxiety, personality, psychotic and compulsive disorders. It includes, but is not limited to, those conditions and symptoms recognised as constituting mental illness under the Mental Health Act 2007 (NSW). More will impact your ability to care for a child or children, they will have to report this to DCJ. For example, if a teacher is worried that your condition might lead to risk of significant harm to children in your care, they will make a report to DCJ.
If DCJ gets a report, it must complete a risk assessment, usually beginning with talking to the parents or carers and the children who are the subject of the report.
For more about what kind of risks of significant harm DCJ will deal with, click here.
DCJ has a number of factsheets and information available from its website.
Click here to read these resources, ‘What happens once a report is made to the Child Protection Helpline?’. Click here to read the fact sheet.
To find more information and resources follow this link.
NSW Department of Communities and Justice (DCJ) will get involved if they are worried that there is a risk of significant (serious) harm, including when:
Once DCJ receive a report that a child or children in your care may be at risk of significant harm, they will investigate further. If the DCJ decides that children in your care are at risk of significant harm, they can choose to do one of the following:
DCJ must try to resolve issues with you, the parent or caregiver, as soon as possible and try not to go to the Children’s Court if possible.
The Australia Government’s preferred option is always providing support to families and children so the child can safely remain in their home.
When DCJ is responding to a report that a child is at risk of significant harm, they must make sure that in their decisions:
A temporary care arrangement gives the NSW Department of Communities and Justice (DCJ) the right to decide where the child or children should live and to make decisions about the day-to-day care of the child. Daily decisions may include decisions about the child or children’s health care, behaviour and activities.
Temporary care arrangements can only be put in place if you agree to the arrangement as a parent. Such an arrangement can only last three (3) months, but can be extended (again only with your consentAgreeing to medical treatment is called ‘consent’. A provider of health care must take reasonable steps to make sure that a patient is able to give informed consent to treatment. This means you must be able to understand key aspects of any treatment suggested before asked whether you agree to the treatment. Key aspects include, for example, what the treatment involves and the potential risks of that treatment. You agreeing to the treatment once you have been given the information and state that you understand what you have been told, is called ‘informed consent’ to treatment. Informed consent by a person who has capacity has validity. More) for another three (3) months. Temporary Care Arrangements must include a ‘restoration plan’, which is a plan for how your child or children can be returned to your care.
DCJ can ‘terminate’ (or end) a temporary care arrangement if they believe that the child or young person is no longer in need of care and protection. The parent can terminate the agreement. However, if DCJ believes that the child or young person is still in need of care and protection, they can make a care application to the Children’s Court to stop the child or young person returning to the parent’s care.
If you are thinking about agreeing to a temporary care arrangement or care plan with DCJ, Legal Aid NSW can give you legal advice before or after you make the proposed care arrangements.
DCS has webpage that explains what they will do to respond to a report that a child or children is at risk of significant harm under the Keep them Safe initiative. Click here to go to the DCS webpage.
Click here for the Legal Aid NSW page on care and protection matters.
The Association of Children’s Welfare Agencies have resources that can assist on care and protection matters.
For more information about restoration plans click here.
A care plan includes actions the family will take to address DCJ’s concerns about the child or young person. For example, the care plan may include the support services that will be provided to the family. These plans can be registered with the Children’s Court. They can also be used as evidence in other Children’s Court proceedings.
A Parental Responsibility Contract (PRC) is a written agreement between the NSW Department of Communities and Justice (DCJ) and one of the people responsible for a child or children. The agreement tries to improve the primary (main) caregiver’s parenting skills and encourages them to take more responsibility for the child or children.
A PRC can include conditions that the parent has to do certain things to improve parenting skills, such as:
It is possible that a PRC could require that a parent continue or start treatment for a mental health conditionThe term mental health condition is a broad term that refers to symptoms that may be caused by life events, genetic factors or birth defects. This condition can be temporary, episodic or lifelong. A mental health condition can include mood, anxiety, personality, psychotic and compulsive disorders. It includes, but is not limited to, those conditions and symptoms recognised as constituting mental illness under the Mental Health Act 2007 (NSW). More.
A PRC cannot place the child or young person in out-of-home care or re-allocate parental responsibility for them. DCJ must make a different application to do this.
The PRC is generally for six (6) months. Only one PRC can be made in any 12 month period.
A PRC has to be registered with the Children’s Court.
If a person who is subject to a PRC does not comply with its conditions (‘breach’), they could be made to go back to the Children’s Court for a breach of the PRC.
If the Court finds that there has been a breach and the parent’s children are still assessed as being at risk of significant harm, there is a strong possibility that the children will be removed from the parent’s care.
For these reasons, you should get legal advice before you sign a PRC to find out about your options. A lawyer may also be help you to negotiate the conditions in a PRC.
DCJ can only change parenting arrangements and put your child in someone else’s care for a short time. If DCJ wants to permanently change these arrangements, it has to apply to the Children’s Court.
After DCJ receives a report that a child is at risk of significant harm, they must try to first work with you to find a solution that does not require going to the Children’s Court. If an application for care orders is to be made, DCJ is to work towards making of orders that are in the best interests of the child or young person.
Wherever possible, families are encouraged to avoid court proceedings and try to come to an agreement with DCJ. For information about alternative dispute resolution options, click here.
A magistrate is in charge of the Children’s Court process. In rural and regional areas, the Children’s Court takes place as special sittings of the Local Court. There is a separate Children’s Courts in Sydney.
The Children’s Court can make the following orders:
When the Children’s Court holds a hearing about a care and protection case, the following people may be involved in the court process (or ‘parties in the proceedings’):
The Children’s Court can appoint a lawyer to act for a child or young person if it appears to the Children’s Court that the child or young person needs to be represented in proceedings.
For more information about the Children’s Court, click here.
If the NSW Department of Communities and Justice (DCJ) wants to change care arrangements or remove your child or children from your care, DCJ has to apply to the Children’s Court.
Your child will not be removed from your care only because you have a mental health conditionThe term mental health condition is a broad term that refers to symptoms that may be caused by life events, genetic factors or birth defects. This condition can be temporary, episodic or lifelong. A mental health condition can include mood, anxiety, personality, psychotic and compulsive disorders. It includes, but is not limited to, those conditions and symptoms recognised as constituting mental illness under the Mental Health Act 2007 (NSW). More. However, they can be removed if your mental health conditionThe term mental health condition is a broad term that refers to symptoms that may be caused by life events, genetic factors or birth defects. This condition can be temporary, episodic or lifelong. A mental health condition can include mood, anxiety, personality, psychotic and compulsive disorders. It includes, but is not limited to, those conditions and symptoms recognised as constituting mental illness under the Mental Health Act 2007 (NSW). More is impacting your ability to meet your child’s needs.
If you think your child may be removed from your care, you should get legal advice, and if possible, legal representation in the Children’s Court. You should try to find out why your child is being removed, what actions impact your chances of getting your children back and the likelihood of going to the Children’s Court.
Legal Aid NSW may give you legal representation in care and protection matters. Representation in some cases may be given if you satisfy a ‘means and merits tests’ and/or you may be asked to pay part of the cost to Legal Aid NSW. For the specific policy that applies to your care and protection matter, click here.
Click here to download various Legal Aid factsheets for parents about care and protection matters.
One option that DCJ may consider is putting your child into foster care.
Foster care is care for children and young people who can’t live with their own families.
Foster carers take on the responsibilities of a parent for a period of time. They are usually but not always, a two-parent family, often with their own children.
Most children go into foster care because NSW Department of Communities and Justice (DCJ) (and sometimes the Children’s Court) believes they are at risk of significant harm or neglect or because their parent or their carer needs a break.
Foster care can be for a short time or long time. For example, your children may be in foster care for one or two nights, a few weeks or months, or even years.
Click here to find out more about your rights as a birth parent in relation to foster care.
See also DCJ about bringing your child home from foster care.
While the NSW Department of Communities and Justice (DCJ) can put in place alternative care arrangements, it can also help you to look after your children. For more about how DCJ can help, click here.
There are several situations where DCJ might get involved if you have children in your care and you have a mental health conditionThe term mental health condition is a broad term that refers to symptoms that may be caused by life events, genetic factors or birth defects. This condition can be temporary, episodic or lifelong. A mental health condition can include mood, anxiety, personality, psychotic and compulsive disorders. It includes, but is not limited to, those conditions and symptoms recognised as constituting mental illness under the Mental Health Act 2007 (NSW). More:
There are other services that can help you with caring for children if you are finding it hard. For more about these services, click here.
You may be worried that you will come to the attention of NSW Department of Communities and Justice (DCJ) workers through reports of possible significant harm to your children if you are:
However, if you have been reported and a DCJ worker comes to your home to talk to you and your children, it does not necessarily mean that your children will be taken away from you.
DCJ will assess the risk of significant harm to the children and consider options, other than putting your children in foster care, even if they think there is a risk of significant harm.
It is important to remember that not doing enough to care for your children (‘neglect’) is as serious as ‘abuse’ towards your children (causing physical, sexual or psychological harm, including allowing children to witness domestic violence).
Therefore, if you are not able to manage, it is best to get help before someone asks DCJ to get involved. Click here to find out how to get help or advice about caring for your children.
If you go to hospital suddenly and you are made an involuntary patient when you have young children in your care, arrangements will have to be made to care for the children, at least while you are in the hospital and probably for a longer recoveryIndividual or personal recovery is defined as being able to create and live a meaningful and contributing life within a community of choice, with or without the presence of mental health difficulties. ‘Recovery’ can mean different things to different people; but in general, it means: gaining and retaining hope; understanding of one’s abilities and difficulties; engagement in an active life; personal autonomy; social identity; meaning and purpose in life, and a positive sense of self. More period.
If you are married or in a de facto relationship, your partner may take over the care of the children in this period (perhaps with some help from other family members, older young children and/or friends).
If you are a single parent or your partner can’t look after the children because of work for example, then arrangements will need to be made for their care. In this situation, other family members, such as grandparents, or friends may be able to look after the children for several weeks or even months. You may be able to get help from a social worker (either in the hospital or in the community) to sort out such arrangements.
However, if no one can be found to look after your children, then this will be reported to the NSW Department of Community and Justice (DCJ). DCJ will have responsibility for the care of your children while you are in hospital. This does not mean that you will lose the responsibility to care for your children in the long term. What it does mean is that DCJ and possibly the Children’s Court will need to be satisfied you are able to look after your children properly before they are returned to you.
If there are no appropriate family or friends to look after your children, DCJ is likely to place your children in foster care.
Mothers are sometimes able to have very young babies in hospital with them if they had to be admitted to a public mental health facility. There are not enough resources or facilities for these arrangements to be made in every public mental health facility. However, the following two mental health facilities facilitate young babies staying with their mothers in hospital.
The Professor Marie Bashir Mental Health Centre has a few beds allocated to mothers and babies within the adult psychiatric unit with specific facilities that are baby friendly.
If you belong to a private health fund that supports inpatient hospital mental health care or can afford private mental health care, the St John of God Burwood Hospital operates a ‘mother and baby’ unit with twelve (12) beds. This unit enables babies under the age of one (1) to stay with their mothers while their mothers are receiving inpatient mental health care and treatment. This facility specialises in providing inpatient treatment for mothers experiencing perinatal depression, anxiety and related conditions. The underlying philosophy of the mother and baby unit is to help mothers and babies bond, and for infants to develop a secure attachment. Hospital caregivers also provide assistance with sleep and feeding issues. The St John of God Mother and Baby Unit is the only service of this type operating in NSW in the private sector.
Northern Sydney Central Coast Health has an online pamphlet called Tips for managing your parenting role during a mental health admission.
Click here to go to the link to download this pamphlet.
There are a number of residential rehabilitation facilities for alcohol and other drug issues that allow children to stay with the parent, for example:
Each of these services have a waiting list. You can contact them directly to find out more about how long the residential program or how long the waiting time is.
For more information about which service is right for you, or for emergency assistance available 24 hours a day, seven (7) days a week, you can call the Alcohol and Drug Information Service. They are a state-wide telephone service by St Vincent’s Hospital providing education, information, referral, crisis counselling and support about illegal drugs (i.e. heroin, ice and cannabis) and legal drugs (i.e. alcohol). You can call 24 hrs a day on 1800 250 015*.
For more information about drug and alcohol issues, click here.
*Mobile phone calls to freecall numbers (numbers starting with 1800) are charged to the caller at the usual mobile rate.
If you need information or think you need help or support with parenting, you might find the following organisations helpful:
*Mobile phone calls to freecall numbers (numbers starting with 1800) and to local call numbers (numbers starting with 13 or 1300) are charged to the caller at the usual mobile rate.
If you have a mental health conditionThe term mental health condition is a broad term that refers to symptoms that may be caused by life events, genetic factors or birth defects. This condition can be temporary, episodic or lifelong. A mental health condition can include mood, anxiety, personality, psychotic and compulsive disorders. It includes, but is not limited to, those conditions and symptoms recognised as constituting mental illness under the Mental Health Act 2007 (NSW). More and a child or children in your care, and you would legal advice and assistance regarding child protection matters, contact one of the services below:
*Mobile phone calls to freecall numbers (numbers starting with 1800) are charged to the caller at the usual mobile rate.
Updated July 8, 2020
