Mapping the introduction of a mental health awareness in custodial settings self-directed workbook across eight care services improvement partnership patches

Approximately 90% of prisoners experience mental health problems, substance misuse problems or both. However, prison reception screening tools are not always effective in enabling staff to identify mentally disordered prisoners. Therefore, to ensure that these individuals get access to appropriate care, custodial staff should be trained in recognising the signs and symptoms of mental health disorders, and in effectively working with these individuals. This paper charts the pilot implementation of a mental health awareness workbook designed for use in custodial settings across England. It examines the variety of approaches adopted to implement the workbook, staff views on the usefulness of the workbook, and barriers to implementation encountered in each area. Recommendations made for best practice in delivering the workbook in other areas suggest a need for changes to its format, but also that time should be ring-fenced for staff to participate in this training, in groups led by experts such as in-reach team members

New futures health trainers: an impact assessment

Although the health of the UK population has improved significantly over the last century, inequalities in health still exist, with some of Britain’s biggest killers being ‘preventable’ illnesses. The 2004 white paper ‘Choosing Health: Making Healthy Choices Easier’ aimed to introduce initiatives to reduce inequalities in health. One such initiative was ‘Health Trainers’ – a new role staffed by individuals drawn from and based in deprived areas. This role aimed to offer people in deprived communities practical advice about health improvement, and to facilitate access to health services This report aims to examine the impact of introducing the ‘New Futures Health Trainer’ role into criminal justice settings in terms of: a) Training for the Health Trainer Tutors/the development of the Health Trainer training course b) The impact of the training on the New Futures Health Trainers c) The organisational consequences of the role d) The impact of New Futures Health Trainers on clinical outcomes for prisoners/offenders on probation, and e) A brief examination of the relationship between ‘early adopter’ sites for Health Trainers in the community, and the prison/probation equivalen

Piloting a new role in mental health: prison based health trainers

Prisoners in the UK are in a poor state of health compared to the wider population, often experiencing numerous physical and/or mental health problems. Many prisoners have had little contact with health services, and research suggests that the standard of health care provided in prisons is not equivalent to that provided in the community. This article introduces Care Services Improvement Partnership Health Trainers – an initiative aiming to provide prisoners themselves with the skills to address health inequalities among their peers. Initially, it discusses the origins of these Health Trainers. It then examines prisoners’ views on how training as a Health Trainer has influenced their attitudes and behaviour, and outlines possible implications of providing this kind of training to prisoners in terms of them using their knowledge to influence other prisoners’ mental health

Probation’s role in offender mental health

Purpose: To examine how the role in offender mental health for the probation service described in policy translates into practice through exploring staff and offenders’ perceptions of this role in one Probation Trust. In particular, to examine barriers to staff performing their role and ways of overcoming them. Design/methodology/approach: Qualitative secondary analysis of data from semi-structured interviews with a purposive sample of 11 probation staff and 9 offenders using the constant comparative method.. Findings: Both staff and offenders defined probation’s role as identifying and monitoring mental illness amongst offenders, facilitating access to and monitoring offenders’ engagement with health services, and managing risk. Barriers to fulfilling this role included limited training, a lack of formal referral procedures/pathways between probation and health agencies, difficulties in obtaining and administering mental health treatment requirements, problems with inter-agency communication, and gaps in service provision for those with dual diagnosis and personality disorder. Strategies for improvement include improved training, developing a specialist role in probation and formalising partnership arrangements Research limitations/implications: Further research is required to explore the transferability of these findings, particularly in the light of the recent probation reforms. Practical implications: Social implications: Originality/value: This is the first paper to explore how staff and offenders perceive probation’s role in offender mental health in comparison with the role set out in policy

Offender health [PI Position Paper 2/17]

This Position Paper addresses the health needs of offenders under supervision in the community and presents principles for improving these services and the take up and use of services

Maximising positive mental health outcomes for people under probation supervision

HMI Probation is committed to reviewing, developing and promoting the evidence base for high-quality probation and youth offending services. Academic Insights are aimed at all those with an interest in the evidence base. We commission leading academics to present their views on specific topics, assisting with informed debate and aiding understanding of what helps and what hinders probation and youth offending services. This report was kindly produced by Dr Coral Sirdifield and Professor Charlie Brooker, highlighting the importance of maximising positive mental health outcomes for people under probation supervision – both for the individuals themselves and in terms of wider societal benefits. While there are various barriers, there are a number of steps that service users, professionals and policy makers can take to help overcome these barriers. There is also a role for researchers in strengthening the evidence base, with a need for investment in research and evaluation linked to potential models of good practice. Most immediately, those working in health and justice need to be aware of the potential for exacerbation of mental health issues due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. As part of recovery planning work, systems need to be in place to ensure that both staff and those being supervised can access appropriate support

Mental health services and prisoners: an updated review

Mental health services and prisoners: an updated revie

Serious mental illness in probation: A review

Research into serious mental illness and probation is reviewed. In addition, there is a specific review of the role of specialist mental health probation staff in the United States (US). In the discussion, we compare progress with the care of the seriously mentally ill within probation in Europe and the US. We conclude that the specialist role for probation staff developed in the US has significant advantages which have been well evaluated which should be implemented, in a large multi-centre trial, across Europe

Northumbria Police custody health needs assessment

A health needs assessment of detainees in poilce custody in Northumbri