Evaluation of two community outreach forensic psychological services
| Pages | 312-326 |
| Date | 04 November 2014 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/JFP-04-2013-0027 |
| Published date | 04 November 2014 |
| Author | Max Ward,Pamela Attwell |
| Subject Matter | Health & social care,Criminology & forensic psychology,Forensic practice |
Evaluation of two community outreach
forensic psychological services
Max Ward and Pamela Attwell
Dr Max Ward is a Specialist
Clinical Psychologist and
Pamela Attwell is a Chartered
Specialist Clinical
Psychologist, both are based
at Forensic Psychological
Therapies Team, Bracton
Centre Forensic Psychiatric
Hospital, Oxleas NHS
Foundation Trust, London, UK.
Abstract
Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to gauge service user’ perspectives on the effectiveness of two
community outreach forensic psychological services in London for people with personality disorder and
serious mental illness who pose a risk of sexual and violent offending. Both services are guided by principles
of the Good Lives Model and circles of support and accountability.
Design/methodology/approach – The research design was mixed qualitative and quantitative, incorporating
thematic evaluation of semi-structured interviews with service users and a rating-scale constructed specifically
for this purpose.
Findings – Outcomes suggest both services are broadly successful in achieving their aims to: first, enhance
psychological well-being and general quality of life; second, promote links with other agencies and broader
social inclusion; and third, monitor and manage risk of re-offending.
Research limitations/implications – However,there are limitations. Cause and effect cannot be inferred
and outcomes are not generalizable to other contexts partly as a result of the small sample size. Another
possible issue is that participants spoke favorably about their care through fear of being evaluatednegatively
or through fear of compromising the support they receive. To control for these and other possible
confounding variables, further more rigorous research is required.
Practical implications – The current findings can be used as a guide to help services engage and manage
people with personality disorder and serious mental illness who are at risk of further serious offending.
Originality/value – It is suggested here that the current findings contribute to the body of evidence
supporting initiatives that aim to address recidivism by enabling offenders to develop a more positive identity
through social and community inclusion and integration.
Keywords Personality disorder, Circles of support and accountability,
Douglas House Project Community Contact Service, Good Lives Model,
Serious mental illness/Disistance Theory/Social capital, Sova support link
Paper type Research paper
Introduction
The Oxleas NHS Foundation Trust provides a forensic psychological therapies service for
people resident in South East London who pose a risk of harm to others within the context of
personality disorder and serious mental illness. The service includes a community outreach
component with two parts: Sova Support Link (a Sova project) and the Douglass House Project
Community Contact Service (CCS). Both Sova Support Link and the CCS incorporate the Good
Lives Model (Ward and Stewart, 2003) and Circles of Support and Accountability (COSA)
principles and philosophies (Wilson and Prinzo, 2001), emphasizing a longitudinal approach to
recovery and social inclusion, which is consistent with current best practice guidelines in mental
health services (National Institute for Mental Health England (NIMHE), 2005). As such, there is
overlap between Sova Support Link and CCS in terms of objectives. Both are concerned with
promoting psychological well-being, increasing opportunities for social inclusion, promoting
links with other agencies and risk management. Through building positive relationships with
service users, the aim is to increase psychological well-being and senseof personal responsibility
PAGE 312
j
JOURNAL OF FORENSIC PRACTICE
j
VOL. 16 NO. 4 2014, pp. 312-326, CEmerald Group Publishing Limited, ISSN 2050-8794 DOI 10.1108/JFP-04-2013-0027
Get this document and AI-powered insights with a free trial of vLex and Vincent AI
Get Started for FreeStart Your Free Trial of vLex and Vincent AI, Your Precision-Engineered Legal Assistant
-
Access comprehensive legal content with no limitations across vLex's unparalleled global legal database
-
Build stronger arguments with verified citations and CERT citator that tracks case history and precedential strength
-
Transform your legal research from hours to minutes with Vincent AI's intelligent search and analysis capabilities
-
Elevate your practice by focusing your expertise where it matters most while Vincent handles the heavy lifting
Start Your Free Trial of vLex and Vincent AI, Your Precision-Engineered Legal Assistant
-
Access comprehensive legal content with no limitations across vLex's unparalleled global legal database
-
Build stronger arguments with verified citations and CERT citator that tracks case history and precedential strength
-
Transform your legal research from hours to minutes with Vincent AI's intelligent search and analysis capabilities
-
Elevate your practice by focusing your expertise where it matters most while Vincent handles the heavy lifting
Start Your Free Trial of vLex and Vincent AI, Your Precision-Engineered Legal Assistant
-
Access comprehensive legal content with no limitations across vLex's unparalleled global legal database
-
Build stronger arguments with verified citations and CERT citator that tracks case history and precedential strength
-
Transform your legal research from hours to minutes with Vincent AI's intelligent search and analysis capabilities
-
Elevate your practice by focusing your expertise where it matters most while Vincent handles the heavy lifting
Start Your Free Trial of vLex and Vincent AI, Your Precision-Engineered Legal Assistant
-
Access comprehensive legal content with no limitations across vLex's unparalleled global legal database
-
Build stronger arguments with verified citations and CERT citator that tracks case history and precedential strength
-
Transform your legal research from hours to minutes with Vincent AI's intelligent search and analysis capabilities
-
Elevate your practice by focusing your expertise where it matters most while Vincent handles the heavy lifting
Start Your Free Trial of vLex and Vincent AI, Your Precision-Engineered Legal Assistant
-
Access comprehensive legal content with no limitations across vLex's unparalleled global legal database
-
Build stronger arguments with verified citations and CERT citator that tracks case history and precedential strength
-
Transform your legal research from hours to minutes with Vincent AI's intelligent search and analysis capabilities
-
Elevate your practice by focusing your expertise where it matters most while Vincent handles the heavy lifting
