A joint report by Ofsted and the Care Quality Commission (CQC) has found that while parental mental health problems were a common trait of families in serious case reviews, there was a lack of information being collected on the issue.
This is despite it being compulsory for information about children living with parents who abuse drugs and alcohol, another key risk factor identified in serious case reviews, to be reported to the National Treatment Agency for Substance Abuse.
The regulators said the government should make it compulsory for adult mental health services to record if their patients have dependent children.
“If children living with parents with mental health problems are to receive the right support and protection then the same level of scrutiny should be applied as those whose parents have issues with substance abuse,” said Sally Rowe, deputy social care director at Ofsted.
Philip King, director for regulatory development at the CQC, said: “The point of our joint work is not to question the parenting ability of people with mental health problems, many lead perfectly ordinary family lives.
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