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BJSW Advance Access published online on May 26, 2009
British Journal of Social Work, doi:10.1093/bjsw/bcp050
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© The Author 2009. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of The British Association of Social Workers. All rights reserved

Help-Seeking by Foster-Carers for their ‘Looked After’ Children: The Role of Mental Health Literacy and Treatment Attitudes

Siobain Bonfield, Suzanne Collins, Jeune Guishard-Pine and Peter E. Langdon

Dr Siobain Bonfield is a Clinical Psychologist currently working in private practice with children and adolescents in Australia. Dr Suzanne Collins is a Clinical Psychologist who has been involved in clinical psychology training for many years and has an interest in working with vulnerable children and adults. Dr Jeune Guishard-Pine is an Educational Psychologist with additional training in counselling and psychotherapy. She works part-time as a Consultant Psychologist for an award-winning NHS specialist team in Luton. The main focus of her work is with abused and neglected children and their carers. Dr Peter Langdon is a Clinical and Forensic Psychologist and a Research Fellow of the National Institute for Health Research. He has an interest in working with vulnerable children and adults. He also works for Hertfordshire Partnership NHS Foundation Trust in Norwich, UK.

Correspondence to Dr Peter E. Langdon, School of Medicine, Health Policy and Practice, Faculty of Health, University of East Anglia, Norwich, Norfolk NR8 6XY, UK. E-mail: P.Langdon{at}uea.ac.uk


  Abstract

Factors that influence the help-seeking steps for looked after children with mental health problems were explored within the context of a help-seeking model, as were foster-carers' Mental Health Literacy (MHL) and help-seeking attitudes. Using a cross-sectional and between groups design, data on variables likely to be related to help-seeking by foster-carers were collected from a sample of 113 foster-carers and 108 looked after children within the East of England. Results demonstrated that although foster-carers had high MHL overall, it did not significantly influence the first help-seeking step of ‘problem detection’. More favourable help-seeking attitudes significantly influenced the second help-seeking step of ‘perceived need’ for Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS). The results from the logistic regression analyses found MHL and help-seeking attitudes, in combination with the presence and impact of a mental health problem, and foster-carer education, to be significant predictors of specific help-seeking. Forty-nine per cent of children were found to have an apparent mental health problem and were not receiving a service from CAMHS. As such, both MHL and help-seeking attitudes have important roles to play in facilitating CAMHS use by this population.

Keywords: Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire, foster-carers, care pathways, ‘looked after’ children, CAMHS


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