This qualitative study explores stakeholders’ perspectives of family-focused practice and engagement factors in a community outreach service for children and their families affected by parental mental illness. Participants included mental health clinicians, and parents and young people who were receiving input from the service. Data for clinicians were gathered via two focus groups (n=8) and semi-structured interviews were conducted for parents (n=4) and young people (n=5) aged 13-16. Analysis included an inductive and iterative thematic approach and a deductive framework approach using Normalization Process Theory to explore the implementation of family-focused practice within the service. Results indicated coherence of views across stakeholders regarding the benefits of a family approach, with clinicians’ application of the family model as enabling family- focused practice, and families’ participation indicating an overall investment in a family approach. Stakeholders endorsed the community outreach approach however clinicians’ appraisal of this was both an enabler to a family approach and a barrier in terms of demands and expectations. Factors for engaging families were also found to be embedded within a family approach and facilitated engagement and an understanding of needs
