University of Leicester. Nuffield Community Care Studies Unit
Publication year:
1995
Pagination:
57p
Place of publication:
Leicester
The Health of the Nation document (1992) identified services for mentally disordered offenders (MDOs) as a priority problem. It is against this background that Leicestershire Health has asked for a literature review of services for this client category in order to inform the commissioning process. This review is chiefly concerned with the overall pattern of services which should be available for MDOs and does not include material specific to the technical skills of the various professionals who provide help for MDOs. For example, there is no discussion of the sorts of therapies which can be used for different sorts of offenders. It is assumed that such information will form part of individual professionals' own skills. Information is not given on specific client categories, such as women, ethnic minorities and people with learning disabilities, or on consumer views.
The Health of the Nation document (1992) identified services for mentally disordered offenders (MDOs) as a priority problem. It is against this background that Leicestershire Health has asked for a literature review of services for this client category in order to inform the commissioning process. This review is chiefly concerned with the overall pattern of services which should be available for MDOs and does not include material specific to the technical skills of the various professionals who provide help for MDOs. For example, there is no discussion of the sorts of therapies which can be used for different sorts of offenders. It is assumed that such information will form part of individual professionals' own skills. Information is not given on specific client categories, such as women, ethnic minorities and people with learning disabilities, or on consumer views.
Extended abstract:
Author:DREWETT Alison Title: A literature review of services for mentally disordered offenders Publisher: University of Leicester. Nuffield Community Care Studies Unit, 1995
Summary
This review is chiefly concerned with the overall pattern of services which should be available for mentally disordered offenders (MDOs), and does not include material specific to the technical skills of the various professionals who provide help for MDOs. For example, there is no discussion of the sorts of therapies which can be used for different sorts of offenders. It is assumed that such information will form part of individual professionals' own skills. Information is not given on specific client categories, such as women, ethnic minorities and people with learning disabilities, or on consumer views.
Context
The Health of the Nation document (1992) identified services for mentally disordered offenders (MDOs) as a priority problem. It is against this background that Leicestershire Health asked for a literature review of services for this client category in order to inform the commissioning process.
Contents
The introduction gives the background and explains how the review was carried out, concentrating chiefly on collecting unpublished and less readily available information (‘grey literature') from the varied agencies which purchase and provide services for this client category. Section 2 discusses numbers of mentally disordered offenders and the psychiatric needs of prisoners, those in contact with the probation service, those taken to police stations, and all offenders. Section 3 is about multi-agency working, discussing the problems and concluding that many agencies are now engaging in a multi-disciplinary approach and authorities are beginning to try to identify what works. The following chapters examine some of the services being put in place. Section 4 is on diverting MDOs, asking why this is done, describing where diversion takes place and the numbers identified and diversion schemes, and discussing effectiveness. Secure accommodation for mentally disordered offenders is discussed in Section 5: prisons, special hospitals, regional secure units, and psychiatric wards, ending with service developments in providing a coherent secure service and assessing risk. Section 6 covers community care for MDOs, with sections on training and service problems. The publication concludes that although the principle of providing health care instead of punishment for MDOs is not new, coherent health and social care is not available for all in the UK , and the level depends very much on where they live. Agencies must work together. The comparatively few offenders presenting serious danger tend to distort responses, with the risk of resources being concentrated on them at the expense of the far more numerous others. Some psychopaths may not receive any health care because they are considered untreatable. All parts are interdependent and repercussions of neglect will be felt elsewhere. While, in theory, there is a push towards helping all types of clients have access to generic services, there is nevertheless some call for specific services staffed by for generic professionals.those trained to help MDOs – as if, in practice, generic services were not answering. Given the scale of need, services are unlikely to be able to given all the help all MDOs need, so there must be a balance between providing highly specialised services on the one hand and, on the other, educating staff in generic services so that they are able to respond to the needs of MDOs. Specialist staff should be available in an advisory capacity
64 references
Subject terms:
learning disabilities, literature reviews, mental health services, mentally disordered offenders;
Positive Publications/ Anglia Polytechnic University, Faculty of Health and Social Work
A new development agency has been set up in Liverpool to maximise job opportunities for people with learning disabilities. The article explains its role in coordinating information on job vacancies and promoting new initiatives.
A new development agency has been set up in Liverpool to maximise job opportunities for people with learning disabilities. The article explains its role in coordinating information on job vacancies and promoting new initiatives.
New Technology in the Human Services, 8(1), 1995, pp.21-29.
Publisher:
Centre for Human Service Technology
Reports on the Intensive Support Team's use of information technology to accurately record data relating to challenging behaviour episodes of people with learning difficulties.
Reports on the Intensive Support Team's use of information technology to accurately record data relating to challenging behaviour episodes of people with learning difficulties.
Subject terms:
information technology, learning disabilities, assessment, challenging behaviour, computers;
University of Leicester. Nuffield Community Care Studies Unit
Publication year:
1995
Pagination:
52p.
Place of publication:
Leicester
The implementation of the joint strategy benefited from a history of good inter-agency working at the field level. The poorer relations which had existed at management level had improved. The strategy had already had some success in terms of putting appropriate mechanisms into place, beginning strategically to plan some services across the sectors which would lead to a more coordinated service and provide the opportunity to plug some gaps. Value for money issues were being addressed by standardising health and social services contracts. However, there were dangers of the strategy being pushed off course by the lack of coordination between central and district spending, and by some practices in the community and in hospital being inconsistent. Budget constraints were leading to service `rationalisations' and, in some cases, led to strategy aims not being met. User and voluntary organisation involvement was felt to be inadequate. Professionals in both health and social services were saturated with change already and this jeopardised the chance of creating enthusiasm for new initiatives.
The implementation of the joint strategy benefited from a history of good inter-agency working at the field level. The poorer relations which had existed at management level had improved. The strategy had already had some success in terms of putting appropriate mechanisms into place, beginning strategically to plan some services across the sectors which would lead to a more coordinated service and provide the opportunity to plug some gaps. Value for money issues were being addressed by standardising health and social services contracts. However, there were dangers of the strategy being pushed off course by the lack of coordination between central and district spending, and by some practices in the community and in hospital being inconsistent. Budget constraints were leading to service `rationalisations' and, in some cases, led to strategy aims not being met. User and voluntary organisation involvement was felt to be inadequate. Professionals in both health and social services were saturated with change already and this jeopardised the chance of creating enthusiasm for new initiatives.
Subject terms:
joint working, learning disabilities, social services, user participation, voluntary organisations, health care, health professionals;
Positive Publications/ Anglia Polytechnic University, Faculty of Health and Social Work
The theory of Social Role Valorisation expounded by Professor Wolf Wolfensberger is intended to enable and disadvantaged people experience 'normal' life. The theory and how it was put into practice in individual cases is described by the author, director of the Community and Mental Handicap Educational and Research Association, and lecturer in social work.
The theory of Social Role Valorisation expounded by Professor Wolf Wolfensberger is intended to enable and disadvantaged people experience 'normal' life. The theory and how it was put into practice in individual cases is described by the author, director of the Community and Mental Handicap Educational and Research Association, and lecturer in social work.
Subject terms:
learning disabilities, needs, social role valorisation, social work theories, user participation, community care;
Positive Publications/ Anglia Polytechnic University, Faculty of Health and Social Work
Argues that standardised procedures introduced to implement care management plus the increased pressure on staff have had an adverse effect on services to people with learning disabilities.
Argues that standardised procedures introduced to implement care management plus the increased pressure on staff have had an adverse effect on services to people with learning disabilities.
Subject terms:
learning disabilities, needs, social care provision, stress, staff, staff management, assessment, care management, community care;
Cheshire County Council Social Services Department, and University College Salford School of Social Work, have recently been involved in establishing an EC funded project with the Social Care Departments of three Czech Local Authority Districts, the University of Hradec Kralove Social Work Department and the Irish Western Health Board. In this article the authors discuss their observations on Czech social work and Czech society from two exploratory visits made to set up the project. Their observations include social policy and management issues, social work practice issues and future challenges facing social work in the Czech Republic.
Cheshire County Council Social Services Department, and University College Salford School of Social Work, have recently been involved in establishing an EC funded project with the Social Care Departments of three Czech Local Authority Districts, the University of Hradec Kralove Social Work Department and the Irish Western Health Board. In this article the authors discuss their observations on Czech social work and Czech society from two exploratory visits made to set up the project. Their observations include social policy and management issues, social work practice issues and future challenges facing social work in the Czech Republic.
Subject terms:
learning disabilities, older people, social policy, social work, social work education, social work methods, social workers, training, charities, Gypsies;