Residential mental health

Keeping in Touch (KIT): Supporting parents in residential mental health settings

The Keeping in Touch with Your Children (KIT) Menu has been designed to provide practical ways you can promote parent-child connectedness during periods of separation.

This toolkit contains the KIT Menu and supporting resources, including a practice guide, implementation action plan, and parent and family brochure. It also includes other resources which can help you to support parents and families to stay connected while they are apart.

Resource summary

Keeping in Touch (KIT): Supporting parents in residential and inpatient mental health settings

Emerging Minds

For some practitioners working in adult-only residential and inpatient mental health programs, starting conversations about parenting, and working with parents and their children might be new and challenging. The Keeping in Touch with Your Children (KIT) Menu has been designed to provide practical ways you can promote parent-child connectedness during periods of separation.
Fact sheet

Keeping in Touch (KIT) residential parent and family brochure

Emerging Minds

This brochure is designed to help residential staff discuss the Keeping in Touch Menu options and activities with parents and families.
Fact sheet

Keeping in Touch (KIT) implementation action plan – mental health settings

Emerging Minds

This action plan provides practical actions and recommendations to help you successfully implement the Keeping in Touch Menu in your setting.
Guide

Keeping in Touch (KIT) mental health residential guide

Emerging Minds

This practice guide outlines ways in which the Keeping in Touch Menu can be used with parents in residential mental health settings to promote parent-child connectedness during periods of separation.
App

While I’m Away app

Emerging Minds

The While I'm Away app has been designed to help parents support the mental health and wellbeing of their child should they need to be cared for by someone else. It is available for free on iOS and Android.
Guide

How to use the Emerging Minds child care plan templates

Emerging Minds

This document steps parents and practitioners through the process of completing Emerging Minds child care plan templates.
Fact sheet

Communicating with your primary school-age child during ‘tough times’

Emerging Minds

This resource will help you to prepare for conversations with your child about your experience of 'tough times' (e.g. relationship conflicts or separation, illness, financial difficulties, job stress, etc.), so can help them to have a better understanding of what is happening.
Fact sheet

Communicating with your toddler during ‘tough times’

Emerging Minds

This resource will help you to connect with your toddler or young child during 'tough times' (e.g. relationship conflicts or separation, illness, financial difficulties, job stress, etc.), so that they feel secure and nurtured.
Fact sheet

Communicating with your teenager during ‘tough times’

Emerging Minds

This resource will help you to prepare for conversations with your teenager about your experience of 'tough times' (e.g. relationship conflicts or separation, illness, financial difficulties, job stress, etc.), so together you can better understand these challenges.
Fact sheet

My child’s care plan

Emerging Minds

This plan contains information to be used to help care for a child should a parent or caregivers become unavailable to care for them themselves.
Fact sheet

Communicating with your baby during ‘tough times’

Emerging Minds

This resource will help you to connect with your baby during 'tough times' (e.g. relationship conflicts or separation, illness, financial difficulties, job stress, etc.), so that they feel secure and nurtured.
Practice paper

Sharing information with parents about children’s social and emotional wellbeing: A step-by-step approach

Myfanwy McDonald

This resource outlines how practitioners in universal health, education and community service settings can share high-quality information with parents about children’s social and emotional wellbeing and mental health in an engaging and respectful way.

Residential mental health

Keeping in Touch (KIT): Supporting parents in residential mental health settings

Keeping in Touch (KIT): Supporting parents in residential and inpatient mental health settings

Keeping in Touch (KIT) residential parent and family brochure

Keeping in Touch (KIT) implementation action plan – mental health settings

Keeping in Touch (KIT) mental health residential guide

While I’m Away app

How to use the Emerging Minds child care plan templates

Communicating with your primary school-age child during ‘tough times’

Communicating with your toddler during ‘tough times’

Communicating with your teenager during ‘tough times’

My child’s care plan

Communicating with your baby during ‘tough times’

Sharing information with parents about children’s social and emotional wellbeing: A step-by-step approach

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