Working with Dual Diagnosis Conference
| Date | 01 June 1999 |
| Author | Sheila Gray |
| DOI | 10.1177/026455059904600216 |
| Published date | 01 June 1999 |
| Subject Matter | Articles |
126
both
in
allocating
police
officers
and
in
making
arrests.
Chapters
twelve
to
twenty-seven
methodically
relate
events
as
they
unfolded.
The
report
highlights
a
catalogue
of
poor
practice,
ignorance
of
basic
procedures
and
a
lack
of
documentation
of
decisions
and
events.
The
remaining
chapters
discuss
the
second
investigation,
which
showed
some
improvement
in
terms
of
professional
and
sensitive
policing.
The
involvement
of
the
Crown
Prosecution
Service
and
the
courts
is
described,
and
no
criticism
is
levelled
at
them.
Finally
there
is
an
account
of
the
Inquest,
including
a
harrowing
account
by
Mrs.
Lawrence.
There
are
lessons
in
this
report
for
probation
officers
and
other
criminal
justice
professionals -
particularly
about
the
importance
of
thoughtful
risk
assessment,
and
of
cultivating
positive
community
relations
through
partnerships.
Essential
reading.
The
Stephen
Lawrence
Inquiry
(1999)
by
Sir
William
MacPherson
of
Cluny.
Advised
by
Tom
Cook,
The
Right
Reverend
John
Fentamu
and
Dr.
Richard
Stone,
HMSO,
£26.
Liz
Dixon
Senior
Lecturer
in
Probation
Studies
University
of
Hertfordshire
Working
with
Dual
Diagnosis
Conference
There
is
a
common
perception
that
drug
agencies perceive
clients
as
too
disturbed
to
successfully
engage
with
treatment,
and
that
generic
psychiatry
rejects
individuals
who
require
more
specialist
drug
treatment.
This
Capita
conference
focused
on
ways
of
achieving
the
sought
after
ideal
of
multi-agency
collaboration,
and
addressing
the
recurring
problem
of
agency
’buck-passing’.
Progress
in
this
area
seems
all
the
more
crucial
when
one
considers
the
fact
(noted
by
one
of
the
speakers)
that
substance
misuse
complicates
mental
health
conditions
through
medication
non-compliance
and
treatment
resistance.
An
important
point
was
made
by
Anna
Branston,
Deputy
Director
of
the
Effra
Trust,
who
commented
that
the
term
dual
diagnosis
had
replaced
personality
disorder
in
stigmatising
those
whose
needs
require
complex
responses.
From
the
context
of
supported
accommodation,
she
stressed
the
importance
of
consolidating
upon
the
Care
Programme
Approach
and
the
crucial
issue
of
drawing
up
protocols
for
agencies
sharing
information.
Acknowledgement
was
made
of
the
entrenched
resistance
to
this
with
the
analogy
of
professionals
existing
in
glass
cages,
cages
frequently
shattered
by
clients
throwing
stones
at
them
because
of
the
lack
of
meaningful
inclusion
in
the
treatment
strategy.
In
an
excellent
presentation,
Dr.
Andrew
Johns,
Senior
Lecturer
and
Honorary
Consultant
at
Broadmoor,
reviewed
recent
research
evidence
on
the
aetiology
of
(particularly
violent)
crime,
and
the
contribution
of
substance
misuse
and
severe
mental
illness
as
a
factor
in
this,
highlighting
the
risk
that
co-morbid
individuals
are
much
more
likely
to
be
violent
than
those
with
mental
illness
alone.
Professor
Kevin
Goumay
addressed
prospects
for
future
change,
concluding
that
the
longer
term
strategic
view
being
taken
by
the
present
government
compares
favourably
with
the
approach
of
the
previous
incumbents.
He
was
enthusiastic
about
this
development,
considering
that
it
is
likely
to
lead
to
tangible
and
much
needed
improvements
in
access
to
services.
The
unfortunate
absence
of
speakers
from
a
criminal
justice
agency
resulted
in
a
silence
on
the
issues
of
diversion
and
enforcement.
Although
there
was
clear
conference
agreement
about
the
importance
of
multi-agency
liaison,
the
continuing
difficulty
of
communication
between
different
agencies
with
different
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