About Us

Our Strong in the Storm initiative supports families with parents suffering from mental illness or addiction. Specially trained child welfare officers work directly in psychiatric hospital wards, connecting affected parents with appropriate counseling centers and support services during their hospital stay. They keep an eye on the children, strengthen their psychological resilience, and help them understand and cope with their parents' situation. Our goal is to lay the foundation for a better family life and improve the long-term quality of life for affected families. The guiding principle of Strong in the Storm is: Think of the children!

No Longer Overlooking the Children

It is estimated that around 30% of all psychiatric patients have children. Despite this, these children and the burdens they carry are often overlooked. They take on responsibilities at an early age, neglect their own needs, and are three to four times more likely to develop mental illness themselves later in life.

We are committed to focusing on supporting these children while their parents are still in treatment—so that they do not become patients themselves in the future. A network of child welfare officers speaks to all affected parents and ensures that the entire family receives suitable assistance. Only when all hospital staff consider the children can we reach as many as possible.

Training for Child Welfare Officers

We have ensured that the children of patients are no longer overlooked in participating clinics by making it mandatory to ask about parenthood. Additionally, we have introduced consistent and ongoing training for all specialists in the clinics on this critical topic. Our child welfare officers are trained to communicate effectively with parents, alleviate fears, motivate them to accept help, and ensure child protection.

All family members receive quicker access to more intensive treatment if required. Even after discharge, we ensure long-term support through close collaboration with regional support networks.

There are now many support services available, such as individual or family counseling, children’s groups, and mentoring programs specifically designed for children of parents with mental health or addiction issues. However, these resources often fail to reach those in need.

When Help Does not Arrive

Feelings of guilt and shame often prevent parents from seeking the necessary support. Additionally, a lack of coordination between assistance programs or simple unawareness of available resources can create barriers to receiving help. Many counselors do not even know whether their patients have children or how they are coping. This is where Strong in the Storm comes in.

How Does Strong in the Storm Support Children?

Strong in the Storm ensures that children are not overlooked when their parents first enter treatment at participating clinics. This provides the foundation for family-centered treatment. The key components are Individualized support for parents and children by specially trained child welfare officers during psychiatric treatment as well as close collaboration with child and adolescent psychiatry to provide children with timely assistance. In addition to that, we cooperate with counseling centers that offer family-centered services. By implementing these measures, we ensure that every family receives a tailored support program to reduce stress and improve their quality of life.

“There is nothing good unless you do it!” – Erich Kästner

When we founded Strong in the Storm, it was driven by one clear realisation: while we always strive to provide the best care for our adult patients, we often forget their children. And yet, these children – who carry a heavy burden and are at significantly higher risk themselves – may become the next generation of patients if we don’t intervene early.

We want to ensure that every parent is made aware of their children’s situation right where they are receiving treatment – and that the whole family, especially the children, get the support they need.

Strong in the Storm was launched in 2019 at the Central Institute of Mental Health (ZI) in Mannheim, as well as in parts of the North Baden Psychiatric Centre and Heidelberg University Hospital. Thanks to further funding, we were able to expand across Baden-Württemberg in 2024. We are thrilled that Strong in the Storm is now also being implemented at the Centre for Psychiatry (ZfP) Südwürttemberg and ZfP Weinsberg.
We are also committed to standardised child protection procedures in psychiatric care. In cooperation with Ulm University Hospital, we are developing an e-learning course for clinical staff. Together with local youth welfare offices, we are also working on a screening tool to ensure standardised child protection practices in adult psychiatric settings.

With every family we reach, we increase the chance of preventing a child from developing mental illness themselves later in life.