Gathering meaningful service user feedback regarding a community forensic service
| Date | 09 June 2015 |
| Published date | 09 June 2015 |
| Pages | 81-93 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/JIDOB-05-2015-0012 |
| Author | Karen Bamford,Carl Benton |
| Subject Matter | Health & social care,Learning & intellectual disabilities,Offending behaviour |
Gathering meaningful service user
feedback regarding a community
forensic service
Karen Bamford and Carl Benton
Karen Bamford and
Carl Benton, both are based at
Specialist Division, Learning
Disability Service, Birmingham
Community Healthcare,
Birmingham, UK.
Abstract
Purpose –Engaging with people with a learning disability to develop and enhance service provision is central
to the ethos of personalisation and citizenship. Despite this there appears to be a lack of research to gather
users’views on how they feel the services meet their unique needs and how these could be improved.
A service evaluation was developed to understand service user’s experience of accessing a community
forensic service (CFS). The paper aims to discuss these issues.
Design/methodology/approach –The questionnaire was conducted by an independent third party
experienced in facilitating complex communication, utilising a written format and Widget Rebus symbols.
Questions were based on Trust Values, family and friends test and clinicalforensic engagement. The samples
were service users open to the CFS on 1 July 2014.
Findings –Data were gathered from 28 individuals, there was an even spread of ages 17-65. In all,
93 per cent understood what help they needed from the service, there was acknowledgement of who they
would go to if they wanted to complain, 100 per cent were happy with how information had been provided,
most felt the service was respectful, fair, friendly and they were listened to.
Practical implications –The findings suggest that more needs to be done around understanding and
engagement in care planning. There are plans to gather information from direct carers and setting up focus
groups to further understand some of the issues and ways forward.
Originality/value –Asking for feedback from people who have offended, some of whom now experience
increased restrictions, is fraught with concern and approached with trepidation. However, the responses
received contradict the natural instincts. The results showed promising appreciation of the support received
in the context of everyday lives and positive risk taking.
Keywords Inclusion, Feedback, Involvement, Community, Forensics, Service user
Paper type General review
Introduction
Services for people with an intellectual disability have been on a journey from the workhouse,
through the colony and normalisation to citizenship (Gilbert, 2009). The authors suggest that this
journey is not over until we can say that inclusion and participation are part of everyday practice in
all areas of service provision. In order to develop user led forensic services there is a need to
engage people with an intellectual disability meaningfully and enable their voices to be heard.
The challenge for service providers is to be active and responsive in seeking relevant feedback
whilst balancing this with service requirements including risk management. Involving service
users is nothing new; logically their perspectives should be at the heart of any evaluation of
service provision. However there is a lack of consistency regarding the extent and methods for
meaningfully gathering this essential feedback which often leaves its value open to question
(Truman and Raine, 2002).
Received 26 May 2015
Revised 6 October 2015
Accepted 13 October 2015
DOI 10.1108/JIDOB-05-2015-0012 VOL. 6 NO. 2 2015, pp.81-93, © Emerald Group Publishing Limited, ISSN 2050-8824
j
JOURNAL OF INTELLECTUAL DISABILITIES AND OFFENDING BEHAVIOUR
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