As Development Lead at Gloucestershire Young Carers, I have for many years had a keen interest in parental mental illness and its impact on dependent children.

My Fellowship travels took me to Australia where there is a wealth of experience in using whole-family approaches to positive effect with these families. Learning from that trip opened up opportunities for international networking and has continued to inform development work with young carers in the UK. Awareness of and access to the evidence base as to what works for children of parents with a mental illness has informed successful funding bids and driven service development. Having gained so much from my travels myself, I have been privileged to offer young carers the opportunity to share their lived experience at national and international conferences.

The issue remains a low priority in UK policy, however, the networks and links afforded by my Fellowship have enabled me to join with other key advocates nationally and to develop new services locally in a drive to evidence and to embed approaches in the UK, which improve outcomes for children of parents with a mental illness.