Kick Off Event of the research group VILLAGE in Innsbruck

June 28, 2018

On 28th of June 2018 the opening event of the VILLAGE project took place in the auditorium of the University of Innsbruck. Guest included local and national stakeholders, local politicians, and the interested public. The kick-off event was intended to provide participants with an overview of the research project as well as the different phases, and to introduce the team of researchers. Presenter Dénes Széchényi from TIROL TV guided the guests and the speakers through the entire event. 

Opening.

Wolfgang Fleischhacker, rector of the Medical University of Innsbruck, opened the event with a speech. He is honored that this project has come to Innsbruck, since he has often been confronted with children of parents with a mental illness through his work in psychiatry. Claudia Lingner, managing director of the Ludwig-Boltzmann-Gesellschaft (LBG), announced that the VILLAGE project is of particular importance to the LBG, as no comparable project of this scale has yet been carried out in Tyrol. The Psychiatry Coordinator of Tyrol, Karl Stieg, concluded the opening with an emphasis on how highly charged the research topic is for his work.

 

Project presentation. 

Jean Paul, head of the VILLAGE research group, then presented the project. It was important to show that children of parents with a mental illness are at a high risk of becoming mentally ill themselves or of developing emotional difficulties. The problem is, that these children are often not noticed, so their needs cannot be recognized and addressed. Therefore, according to Paul, the practical approaches consist on the one hand in the early identification of children and youths of parents with a mental illness, and on the other hand in the support of the informal network so that these children can lead a happy and healthy life. The aim is to create a child-focused, cooperative practice approach, and to enhance the development and the well-being of the children. Furthermore, the aim is to save costs through collaborative practices. For the successful realization of the project, the VILLAGE team will develop, implement and evaluate practical approaches. It is important to understand, what works for whom and under what circumstances. Paul then introduced the international team of researchers. 

Panel discussion. 

Representatives and experts of various institutions had the opportunity to describe their expectations of the project, opinions and ideas from their specific perspective. Karl Stieg, Alex Hofer, Maria Fischer, and Lisa Kainzbauer came together for a panel discussion. The photographer and conceptual artist Lisa Kainzbauer is regarded as an expert from experience. She reported of her personal experiences of growing up with a mother suffering from schizophrenia. The core message of her contribution was that it was important to have a reference person and not to be alone with the problems. In her case, her grandmother took on this role, so she emphasizes the importance of a supportable social network. Alex Hofer, the director of the department of Psychiatry I of the university hospital, highlighted the problem that children of mentally ill parents are often not noticed by society, because parents fear that their child could be taken away. Maria Fischer, who offers counselling and help for relatives of mentally ill people in Tyrol, focused in particular on the situation of the children. In her opinion, it is important to perceive children more in terms of developmental psychology and not to give too much weight to diagnostic findings, as these can quickly lead to stigmatization. She also emphasized the importance of children "being children". Making music, playing, and exercising together makes an important contribution to the maintenance and recovery of mental health in children. Karl Stieg, Psychiatry Coordinator of Tyrol, expressed his criticism of the view that there is a lack of support for children of mentally ill parents in Tyrol. He was of the opinion that there are many possibilities in this respect and hoped that the VILLAGE project would improve networking and cooperation between existing institutions.

Artistic performance “Family matters”.

In her artistic performance, the actress and artist Grischka Voss gave the guests the opportunity to immerse themselves in everyday life with a mentally ill mother. As an expert from experience, she told about her own childhood experiences with her voice and body and took those present on a journey into her past. Through her openness and with the involvement of the audience, Grischka Voss succeeded in creating an atmosphere in which the topic could be experienced from a new perspective, especially from the perspective of children. 

Involvement and participation. 

After a short break the interactive part of the afternoon began. All participants of the opening event came together in smaller groups and discussed the question of how the village should look like in practice. The ideas were summarized on posters and presented individually by the groups. Here is an overview over the most important ideas:

Mindset: How do we treat each other (within the “village”)? 
The most important attitudes were openness, a sense of responsibility and appreciation, greet each other, civil courage, mindfulness, trust in children and community.

 

Removal of taboos and sensitization
Children of mentally ill parents must be protected from stigmata, said some discussion groups. Since stigmata are not uncommon in the context of mental illness, programs for prevention and de-stigmatization must exist in the "village". Furthermore, the creation of an unbiased view of mental illnesses is important. Sensitization, that is a perception and a better understanding of the needs of children, were declared an important characteristic of the "village".

Educating the children
It emerged from the discussion groups that it was necessary to speak openly about mental illness. This is also a step towards the removal of taboos. Information and awareness campaigns could be useful to train the handling of mental illnesses and help affected persons. Fears and concerns should be addressed freely. Positive psychology was also a topic concerning child education: The negative meaning of mental illness should be countered by a positive and health-promoting attitude. In addition, the resilience of the children should be promoted.

Social network
Community, cohesion and neighbor help/host families should be at the heart of the “village” to ensure a stable social network that is able to accompany and support children reliably. Social structures should be intergenerational and family-friendly, and the community should be child-focused. This includes customs, events and rituals to strengthen the sense of community. The discussion showed that the respective healthy parent should also be supported, as it may also suffer from the family situation. For affected children, contact with their peers is important in addition to professional support. Children should not be "torn" out of their existing network but encouraged in their existing social contacts or integrated into a group with other affected children. Another controversial topic was the separation of child and family. The question arose as to how in this case social structures could remain intact and what should be taken into account when returning children to their families.

Spatial design
The focus was on the theme of "community”. The ideas ranged from an open backyard, public spaces and playgrounds to inclusive residential projects. “Rooms without control" were also mentioned as essential - space in a figurative sense - in which the children can be among themselves and experience a carefree childhood. 

Institutions and services
Cooperation as well as communication between different institutions and their services should take a key role in the "village”. A coordinator would be useful for structuring and planning. It is also necessary to make low-threshold offers; this means that offers reach out to families and not vice versa. In addition to institutional interventions and programs, local services such as child miners, family helpers or the social and healthcare services of the district are important. Training and further education in existing institutions (e.g. additional training for teachers or social competence training for children in schools) could also be helpful here, because they can better understand the individual situation and provide more targeted support. “Normal” offers for children, such as outdoor activities, music and sports, also support the healthy development of children.

Financing
The financing should be barrier-free, so the offers must be able to be used independently of the income of the needy people. The funding of support programs should be independently of an existing psychopathological diagnosis of the child.