Overview - Fabricated Or Induced Illness - NHS

How a case is managed

The child

The first priority is to protect the child, find out their true state of health and restore them to good health. Health professionals will create a health and education rehabilitation plan for the child.

The local authority children's social care team may also be involved. They may remove the child from the care of the person responsible. If the child is in hospital, the parent or carer may need to be removed from the ward.

The child may need help returning to a normal lifestyle, including going back to school. Younger children and babies who do not understand what was happening often make a good recovery after the abuse stops.

Older children, particularly those who've been abused for many years, may have more problems. For example, many affected children believe they're really ill. They need help and support to develop a more realistic understanding of their health.

It's common for older children to feel loyal to their parent or carer, and a sense of guilt if that person is removed from the family.

The parent or carer

Once the child is safe, it may be possible to treat the parent or carer's underlying psychological problems. This may include a combination of:

• intensive psychotherapy
• family therapy

The aim of psychotherapy is to uncover and resolve the issues that caused the person to fabricate or induce illness in the child.

Family therapy aims to resolve any tensions within the family, improve parenting skills and attempt to repair the relationship between the parent or carer and the child.

In more severe cases, the parent or carer may be compulsorily detained in a psychiatric ward under the Mental Health Act so their relationship with the child can be closely monitored.

Parents or carers involved in FII are difficult to treat because most do not admit their deceptions and refuse to recognise their abusive behaviour. In some cases, the child is permanently removed from their care.

The best results are achieved in cases where the parent or carer:

• understands and acknowledges the harm they've caused
• is able to communicate the underlying motivations and needs that led them to fabricate or cause illness
• is able to work together with healthcare and other professionals