Active between 2001 and 2017, the Children of Parents with a Mental Illness (COPMI) national initiative was established to foster better mental health outcomes for children of parents with a mental illness; reduce stigma associated with parental mental illness; and help friends, family and practitioners in a range of settings identify and respond to the needs of the children and their families where parental mental illness exists.
The initiative focused on developing resources for parents, their family and friends in support of children of parents with a mental illness. These resources were complemented by innovative online training courses for professionals to support families either individually or through community services and programs.
Funded by the Australian Government and delivered by Emerging Minds, COPMI resources were all developed under the guidance of people with the shared experience of living in families where parental mental illness was a part of family life, and with the experience of leading researchers and service providers in the mental health field.