Maternal custody status and living arrangements of children of women with severe mental illness.

The authors report results of a pilot study on the custody status of 20 women with severe mental illnesses who were parents of a total of 76 children. The mothers had some of their children living with them and others dispersed among kinship and nonkinship arrangements. Qualitative findings illustrate how bewildered these women were about the status of children placed outside the home and their ability to obtain custody or maintain contact with their children. The authors suggest that social workers working with women with severe mental illness inquire about and "map" the whereabouts of women's children, help mothers mediate legal and social services delivery systems, and help mothers exercise their rights when there is risk of termination of parental rights.