Domain 7 - Family and other supports (Contextual Domain)

Overview

This domain considers whether personal supports, including emotionally nurturing relationships, practical support, and social support are present in the child’s environment and their potential to contribute to improved mental health.

This domain does not include or consider professional support. Personal supports include:

  • Family/primary caregivers.

  • Friends and peers.

  • Supports within the school environment.

  • Supports within the community (e.g., cultural connections, elders, spiritual leaders, sporting groups, neighbours etc.).

Personal supports may be present, but unable to provide the needed support at the time. There are a range of factors that may impact on whether personal supports are able to be provided, such as competing caring responsibilities, a lack of access to respite or other supports, financial or practical constraints, additional skill development requirements, or illness or distress in family or primary caregivers. It is important to avoid blame or judgement of personal supports when exploring this domain.

Where appropriate, a mental health assessment and intervention for the support person (or family as a whole) should be considered.

Scoring

0 = Highly supported

  1. There are family/primary caregivers and other personal supports available that are highly supportive, willing, and capable to meet the child’s developmental, emotional, practical, and social needs.

1 = Well supported

  1. There are a few family/primary caregivers and other personal supports available that are supportive, willing, and capable of meeting the child’s developmental, emotional, practical, and social needs.

2 = Limited supports

  1. There are a few family/primary caregivers available to provide support, but their willingness to provide support is variable or difficult to access, or the sources of support have insufficient resources or capabilities to meet the child’s developmental, emotional, practical, and social needs whenever it is needed, or the child is reluctant to utilise the available supports.

  2. Other personal supports are available for the child but only partially compensate for needs not met within the family.

3 = Minimal supports

  1. Very few actual or potential useful sources of support are available, willing, and capable of meeting the adolescent’s developmental, emotional, practical, and social needs.

  2. There are serious limitations in the capacity or availability of supports outside the family, so that developmental, emotional, practical, or social needs are mostly unmet.

4 = No supports

  1. No useful sources of support are available, and developmental, emotional, practical, and/or social needs are mostly unmet.

  2. The adolescent has no access to other supports that could compensate for needs not met within the family.