“Where are we on the Road Towards Family-focused Practice in Mental Healthcare?” - Perspectives from a Swedish/Norwegian Research Collaborative

As a Norwegian/Swedish research network based on a family-focused practice in mental healthcare, we recognise the need to highlight this approach for the future quality and sustainability of the care and services provided. The role of family members in caring for individuals with mental health conditions is situational and diverse, encompassing several support areas such as emotional support, continuation of social and living skills, economic assistance, and monitoring for signs of illness and relapse prevention. In this context, volunteers have also been encouraged to contribute as partners in the support and follow-up of individuals with mental health issues. Although mental health services were primarily hospital-based in the past, there has been a shift in recent decades towards community-based care with support from specialist services. The aim has been to foster a respectful partnership between patients, families, and professionals, including a commitment to increasing family involvement and providing greater support to family members. Despite the recommendation for family-focused practice, we believe that health professionals still prioritise their alliance with the patient as their foremost responsibility. In this article, we advocate for an enhanced emphasis on family-focused approaches and underscore the importance of utilising knowledge-based family-focused practice models.