Working with the Mentally Disordered Offender in the Community: (No. 47 Therapy in Practice)

As mentally disordered offenders have emerged into more public view in the community, it has become increasingly necessary to examine the working practices of community based staff who have cared for them. Until now, there has been an absence of literature to inform these community-based professionals how to work effectively with their clients and with each other. This book offers the first in-depth examination of the issues involved in working with this client group and provides a guide through the maze of policies, legislation, practicalities and dilemmas. Topics covered include: risk assessment; supervision; inequality and discrimination; residential and daycare services; and primary and secondary intervention. This practical handbook is written for students and practitioners in fields such as social work, community psychiatric nursing, and occupational therapy as well as for managers in mental health and social services. This book should be of interest to community psychiatric nurses; social workers; probation officers; and managers in mental health, probation and social services.

Table of Contents:
Part 1 Setting the scene: the basic assumption; defining the mentally disordered offender; a distinctive way of working. Part 2 Policy and legislative framework: policy development; legislation. Part 3 Inequality, discrimination and the mentally disordered offender: what is discrimination?; different forms of discrimination; the power of the worker; the power of the client; discrimination against mentally disordered offenders; racial discrimination and the mentally disordered offender; sexual discrimination. Part 4 The assessment of risk: the human volcano; risk to others; risk to the worker; client's risk to self. Part 5 Primary and secondary prevention: what is primary prevention?; diversion from custody; psychiatric/panel assessment schemes; acting as an appropriate adult under the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984; care management; probation order with a condition of psychiatric treatment; Supervision and Treatment Order under the Criminal Procedure (Insanity and Unfitness to Plead) Act 1991; Guardianship Orders; The Care Programme Approach; Supervision Registers. Part 6 Supervision of patients subject to special restrictions: work within the hospital setting; supervision in the community. Part 7 Residential and daycare services: tasks and functions; referrals; the ethos; discharge; communication and purpose in residential and daycare settings. Part 8 Key issues for the future emerging contradictions; training; management support; joint planning and working. Appendix: The Home Office guidelines on social supervision.