Supporting parents

Parenting is hard enough without money worries or a lack of emotional or practical support added to the mix.

Emotional stress, relationship difficulties, poverty and homelessness all affect parents’ ability to provide consistent, sensitive and caring parenting.

That’s why social policies that take the stress off parents are essential for promoting mental wellbeing and preventing mental health conditions.

Positive social policies for mental wellbeing might include:

• in-home practical and emotional support for new parents
• affordable, high-quality childcare
• labour market policies that enable parental leave and co-parenting
• ensuring that no parent and their children are living in poverty
• providing access to free or affordable parenting resources and parenting programs

While many of these reforms are the responsibility of businesses and governments, we can all play a role by advocating for positive policies or by supporting the parents in our lives.