Children of mentally ill parents are at increased risk of developing mental disorders themselves. In disorders with high genetic loadings like bipolar disorder and schizophrenia a relevant biological vulnerability might be transmitted to the offspring. Emotional neglect, instable parental bonding and disruptive behavior of the ill parents might represent additional risk factors for the manifestation of mental disorders in the offspring. Comparable mechanisms might exist in disorders like depression, anxiety, addiction, obsessive-compulsive and personality disorders. Thus, the interaction of genetic and environmental risk factors peaks in children of mentally ill parents. However, in most treatment settings in Germany, adult Psychiatry and Child & Adolescent Psychiatry are distinct treatment entities with a low degree of collaboration among each other. This leads to a lack of awareness for the children of hospitalized mothers and fathers and vice versa to a low rate of intervention when needed for parents of hospitalized children. Early intervention strategies could already start during pregnancy supporting very young or mentally distressed mothers throughout pregnancy and the post-partum period. In the presentation several lines of evidence will be presented and novel treatment and early intervention concepts will be discussed.