Barriers to Creating and Implementing Child Mental Health Policies That Promote Child Mental Health Competence in Victoria, Australia: A Qualitative Study

Abstract

Introduction

A comprehensive child mental health policy agenda should promote mental health competence and prevent difficulties to ensure children experience the best start to life. As a key influence on child outcomes, supporting families is critical to achieving this. This study aims to understand the current child mental health policy landscape from a policy maker's perspective. It explores barriers to creating and implementing policies that support families and target child mental health competence for children aged 0 to 12 in Victoria and nationally.

Methods

Eleven policy makers from health, education, social services/human rights, and non-government organisations participated in semi-structured interviews. Interviews were de-identified and analysed using the general inductive approach outlined by Miles et al.

Results

Policy makers described the current child mental health policy landscape as focused on addressing mental health difficulties. This prioritisation of addressing difficulties and family risk factors, along with challenges associated with measuring competence and the complex mental health system, was seen as hindering the implementation of child mental health competence policies and their ability to support families.

Conclusions

While there are efforts to promote child mental health competence through policy, such as the National Children's Mental Health and Wellbeing Strategy, policy makers believe there remains a strong focus on deficits. So What? Researchers can play a role in addressing barriers to creating mental health competence policies by providing guidance on the measurement of child mental health competence and identifying ways to stack interventions to efficiently target mental health competence and difficulties and address family risk factors.