Contributing factors to providing an effective community-based forensic service for people with a learning disability: a literature review

Pages45-57
Published date29 August 2019
DOIhttps://doi.org/10.1108/JIDOB-03-2019-0005
Date29 August 2019
AuthorAnna Leonie Wark
Subject MatterHealth & social care,Learning & intellectual disabilities,Offending behaviour,Sociology,Sociology of crime & law,Deviant behaviour,Education,Special education/gifted education,Emotional/behavioural disorders
Contributing factors to providing an
effective community-based forensic
service for people with a learning
disability: a literature review
Anna Leonie Wark
Abstract
Purpose Legislative guidance stipulates that people with a learning disability have the right to receive local
provision of personalised support within the least restrictive environment. On these bases there is a growing
emphasis on the requirement for local authorities to develop appropriate services for people who are
currently in a hospital setting. The purpose of this paper is to examine the literature addressing factors
influencing the provision of effective community-based forensic services.
Design/methodology/approach The six articles were analysed separately using the evaluation
tool Currency, Relevance, Authority, Accuracy, Purpose. The six articles used divergent sample groups and
employed both qualitative and quantitative methods to collate data. The articles shared a purpose of
examining forensic community service provision with an aim to improve services.
Findings There were three themes that emerged consistently across the literature these included:
balancing risk management vs individual autonomy; multi-disciplinary and multi-agency working; service
improvement. There is a growing emphasis on the need to replace long-term hospital placements with
specialist, community provision, employing least restrictive methods and positive responses to crisis
situations. In this climate, it is crucial that multi-disciplinary agencies from local authority, health and the
charitable and private sector continue to work collaboratively on the integration of service provision in order to
bring about the development of effective and responsive community services.
Research limitations/implications Research limited to peer reviewed and published research papers
focusing on the subject of community forensic services with publications specifically made within the time
frame of the Transforming Care Agenda.
Practical implications This paper looks to examine the practical solutions to providing effective
community forensic services for a person with an intellectual disability and makes recommendations for
research into improving service specific training for support staff.
Social implications Following the Winterbourne View Hospital scandal (BBC One, 2011) instigations were
made to make legislative change under the Transforming Care Agenda. Despite a renewed conviction in the
rights of people to be a part of their local community without segregation or discrimination, professionals in
the field continue to report a failure to reduce numbers of people in long stay hospitals and secure settings.
With commissioning under pressure to make these intentions a reality it is a really good time to reflect on
practice and evaluate service models to establish the factors that bring about positive outcomes for
individuals enabling inclusion within community settings.
Originality/value This review will focus on the literature evidencing positive intervention and outcome
focussed methods of supporting people with a forensic history in the community. This is an entirely original
piece of work analysing peer reviewed and published research.
Keywords Services, Community, Literature review, Forensic, Learning disability, Transforming Care
Paper type Literature review
Introduction
Since the initial resettlement from long stay hospital throughout the 1970s and 1980s
(Emerson, 2004) there has been a growing interest in providing effective services to people with
complex behavioural presentation and a learning disability. The revised Mansell Report
Received 14 March 2019
Revised 7 July 2019
Accepted 3 September 2019
Anna Leonie Wark is RNLD
based at Creative Support Ltd,
Stockport, UK.
DOI 10.1108/JIDOB-03-2019-0005 VOL. 10 NO. 3 2019, pp. 45-57, © Emerald Publishing Limited, ISSN 2050-8824
j
JOURNAL OF INTELLECTUAL DISABILITIES AND OFFENDING BEHAVIOUR
j
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