Poor Quality of Mental Health Assessment Reports in UK Family Courts: A ‘call to Action’

2016 ◽  
Vol 33 (S1) ◽  
pp. S460-S460
Author(s):  
R. Kurz
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Social Services ◽  
Mental Health Professionals ◽  
Child Protection ◽  
Ad Hoc ◽  
Health Assessment ◽  
Poor Quality ◽  
Family Court ◽  
Family Courts ◽  
Assessment Reports

IntroductionProf. Jane Ireland found that 65% of assessment reports sampled from UK family courts were ‘poor’ or ‘very poor’.ObjectiveThe presentation raises international awareness of the problem and explains the contextual factors that contribute to malpractice.AimsThe paper highlights typical deficiencies in family court assessments and forensic processes in order to reduce the risk of unsafe custody rulings.MethodDue to the paucity of published academic literature ‘ad hoc’ Internet searches were utilised to collect source material and identify advocates. A range of conferences, seminars and continued professional development (CPD) events revealed the background for some of the persistent problems.ResultsThe suppression of the trauma-centric approach to mental health issues and its re-emergence are central to understanding the trajectory and how to improve professional practice.Organised Ritualised Crime Abuse Networks (ORCANs) seem to be at work infiltrating institutions that are supposed to uphold law and order.Inadequate psychometric instruments appear to beguile some mental health professionals into wrong diagnosis and testimony.ConclusionThe standard of UK family court assessments must improve. Scrapping ‘forced adoption’ legislation that drives the ‘child snatching’ culture in UK social services department would benefit society including citizens from abroad whose governments vocally criticise the removal of their children through clandestine UK ‘child protection’ procedures.Disclosure of interestThe author has not supplied his declaration of competing interest.

Staying alive: A 21st century agenda for mental health, child protection and forensic services

2021 ◽  
pp. 263440412110078
Author(s):  
Patricia M Crittenden ◽  
Andrea Landini ◽  
Susan J Spieker
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Mental Health Professionals ◽  
Child Protection ◽  
Mental Health Treatment ◽  
Developmental Process ◽  
Diagnostic Methods ◽  
Effective Prevention ◽  
Common Basis ◽  
Prevention And Treatment ◽  
Protective Strategies

Mental health treatment, child protection and forensic services for criminality need major reorganisation in conceptualisation and service provision. This need results from the failure of current diagnostic methods, administrative organisations and treatment approaches to reduce the prevalence of mental illness, child maltreatment or criminal behaviour. We propose that defining these problems as individual deficits and responding to them by category of harm (to self, progeny and others, respectively) stands in the way of effective prevention and treatment. We address four topics: (1) the common basis of all of these problems in unprotected and uncomforted exposure to danger, (2) the developmental process of psychological maladaptation that occurs interpersonally in endangered families, (3) the behavioural expression of psychological development as protective strategies that can be adaptive or maladaptive, depending upon the context in which they are used, and (4) proposals for systemic change that could improve prevention and treatment. These proposals include using functional formulations to guide treatment planning, single portal entry to assessment and services, integrated universal transdisciplinary training followed by specialisation for all mental health professionals, delivering customised treatment through transitional attachment relationships and consolidating disparate disciplines in ‘departments of human adaptation’.

scholarly journals Activity in a district psychotherapy service

1994 ◽  
Vol 18 (9) ◽  
pp. 544-547 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard Tillett
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Mental Health Services ◽  
Health Services ◽  
Mental Health Professionals ◽  
Royal College ◽  
Health Professionals ◽  
Ad Hoc ◽  
Local Mental Health ◽  
South West ◽  
Major Teaching

The Royal College of Psychiatrists (1991) has recommended that all local mental health services should include specialist psychotherapy departments. At present these are uncommon outside major teaching centres, although a considerable amount of simple psychotherapy is provided on an ad hoc basis by mental health professionals of various disciplines. This paper describes the structure, functioning and costs of a specialist department in a non-teaching district in the south west of England.

scholarly journals Child removal as the gateway to further adversity: Birth mother accounts of the immediate and enduring collateral consequences of child removal

2019 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
pp. 15-37 ◽  
Author(s):  
Karen Broadhurst ◽  
Claire Mason
Keyword(s):  
Child Protection ◽  
Qualitative Interviews ◽  
Theoretical Work ◽  
Family Court ◽  
Birth Mothers ◽  
Collateral Consequences ◽  
Family Courts ◽  
Protective Resources ◽  
Court Proceedings ◽  
Psychosocial Crisis

This article is focused on the immediate and enduring consequences of child removal, from the perspective of birth mothers. The article builds on the authors’ previous theoretical work on the collateral consequences of child removal and women’s vulnerability to repeat family court appearances. Interview data drawn from in-depth qualitative interviews with 72 birth mothers conducted in seven local authority areas are revisited to enable a focused analysis of the immediate and longer-term effects of child removal. Analysis was informed by phenomenology’s interest in collective accounts of experience and the pursuit of moderate generalisations. All the women participating in the study had experienced the repeat removal of their children through the family courts, or were involved in child protection proceedings concerning an unborn child, having previously lost a child from their care. Birth mothers recounted an immediate psychosocial crisis following child removal, but also the cumulative and enduring nature of problems. From women’s accounts, we have been able to deepen our understanding of the enormity of the recovery challenge for women with long-standing histories of disadvantage who hold fragile and restricted social statuses. Role loss and further exclusionary consequences of child removal were particularly pronounced, given women’s limited access to protective resources. A clear set of recommendations for services are set out in a final discussion. The scale of the difficulties women face needs to be recognised in services that aim to promote recovery, if women are to be helped to avoid recurrent family court proceedings.

Supervision contracts for mental health professionals: a systematic review and exploration of the potential relevance to psychiatry training in Australia and New Zealand

2019 ◽  
Vol 27 (3) ◽  
pp. 225-229
Author(s):  
Dylan Lu ◽  
Shuichi Suetani ◽  
Jimsie Cutbush ◽  
Stephen Parker
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Systematic Review ◽  
Mental Health Professionals ◽  
Empirical Studies ◽  
Health Professions ◽  
Poor Quality ◽  
Inclusion Criteria ◽  
Quality Appraisal ◽  
Fellowship Program ◽  
Competency Based

Objective: The use of formal supervision contracts has been strongly advocated across non-medical mental health professions. However, the use of such agreements is not a feature of the RANZCP Competency-Based Fellowship Program. This paper critically examines the evidence to support the use of formal supervision contracts. Method: A systematic review of empirical studies relating to the outcomes of supervision contracts was completed. Included records were subject to quality appraisal. Results: Two studies met the inclusion criteria; both were assessed to be of poor quality. One study found improved supervision effectiveness associated with the use of supervision contracts, and the other found no significant differences associated with formal contracting. Conclusion: Despite strong advocacy, limited empirical evidence was found to support the value of formal supervision contracts across mental health professions. PROSPERO registration - PROSPERO 2018 CRD42018104142

The Clientele of a Child and Family Mental Health Agency: Empirically Derived Household Clusters and Practice Implications

1992 ◽  
Vol 2 (3) ◽  
pp. 380-404 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mark A. Mattaini ◽  
Bruce A. Grellong ◽  
Robert Abramovitz
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Social Services ◽  
Mental Health Professionals ◽  
Program Planning ◽  
Health Agency ◽  
Theory And Practice ◽  
Three Dimensions ◽  
Health And Social Services ◽  
Family Types ◽  
Family Mental Health

Social workers and other mental health professionals have developed and applied a number of typologies of family types in clinical practice, as well as for program planning. Most such taxonomies have emerged from theory and practice, but few are based on more than two or three dimensions or have been rigorously tested empirically. In this study of a representative sample of 625 households from which clients of a child and family mental health and social services agency come, inductive cluster analysis extracted eight discrete household clusters. The household types included (a) high-aversive households, (b) isolated (mostly single-adult) households, (c) multideficit households, (d) families experiencing circumscribed problems, (e) households with family problems but substantial external supports, (f) extremely isolated families, (g) seriously stressed families with significant strengths, and (h) significant family-functioning problems. Demographic factors and other stressors associated with these clusters were also examined Clinical and programmatic implications of these findings are presented, along with suggestions for further systematic replications in other settings.

Perception and satisfaction in telemedicine on Mental Health among professionals during the COVID outbreak. A real-world experience on telepsychiatry. (Preprint)

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carlos Roncero ◽  
Diego Remon ◽  
Nerea M Casado-Espada ◽  
Lourdes Aguilar ◽  
Sinta Gamonal-Limcaoco ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Mental Health Professionals ◽  
Health Professionals ◽  
Ad Hoc ◽  
Health Workers ◽  
Psychiatric Service ◽  
Traditional System ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Medical Consultations

BACKGROUND There are previous experiences on the perception of patients with the use of telemedicine (TM). After break down caused by pandemic Covid19 crisis, mental health professionals in Spain should develop their work in a telematics way. OBJECTIVE Explore about the perceptions and interests of mental health professionals who have performed TM in the pandemic situation. METHODS An Ad-hoc questionary on the perception of the TM, the Work Satisfaction Questionnaire of Font Roja, and questions on patients satisfaction ere used. The data collected included 112 professionals of the Psychiatric Service who began to perform TM massively on March 16, following the alarm status declaration for ten weeks. More than 12.000 medical consultations were carried out on the phone. RESULTS High levels of satisfaction was detected among professional TM would function as a complement to the traditional system of face-to-face visits (n-112, f-109, 96.5%), only 9.7% (f-11) believed that the telematic system would completely replace face-toface visits. 60,8% did not consider this a monotonous work. The older the health workers were, the more satisfied they felt on their telephone follow-up consultation. The higher the previous experience the more satisfaction was showed. There are gender differences and women seems to be more adapted. CONCLUSIONS TM can be implemented without much effort, although the time, methods and resources used must be managed. Satisfaction among professionals is high, especially among those with more clinical experience. Patient satisfaction must be contrasted. CLINICALTRIAL This study is not a trial

The experience of domestic violence survivors in the US family courts: gender bias in the court

2021 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 43-53
Author(s):  
Lisa Fischel-Wolovick
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Domestic Violence ◽  
Child Maltreatment ◽  
Graduate Education ◽  
Gender Bias ◽  
Mental Health Professionals ◽  
Health Professionals ◽  
The United States ◽  
Family Courts ◽  
The Family

There is a significant body of research on gender bias against women in the family courts. During the Covid-19 pandemic, battered women's vulnerability to domestic violence increased on a global level as women experienced a significant increase in the severity of abuse. The problems of gender bias and the treatment of battered women and their children have a long history of human rights' abuses. In particular, battered mothers have been the focus of gender-biased theories of parental alienation, used as a defence against claims of abuse and child maltreatment, despite a lack of empirical validity and acceptance. Additionally, the family courts in the United States are closed to the public and as a result there is a lack of transparency and accountability. A large-scale national study revealed that many supporting mental health professionals who provide custody evaluations lack a formal graduate education in domestic violence and child maltreatment. Furthermore, legislative presumptions that favour joint legal custody in custody decisions and requirements of co-parenting, fail to take into consideration the long-term public health risks of such chronic traumatic exposure. Finally, this article will address needed systemic reforms that include increased transparency, longterm court-monitoring, and supporting mental health professionals with formal graduate education in trauma, child development, and abuse, to promote resilience in vulnerable families.

Psychopharmacology and Mental Health Practice: An Important Alliance

2011 ◽  
Vol 33 (3) ◽  
pp. 196-222 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kevin Kaut
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Mental Health Professionals ◽  
Psychiatric Treatment ◽  
Health Assessment ◽  
Contextual Analysis ◽  
Mental Health Practitioners ◽  
Major Influence ◽  
Mental Health Assessment ◽  
Health Practitioners ◽  
Drug Treatments

Many mental health professionals are concerned about an increasingly "medicalized" society, driven in part by significant growth in biomedical research and biological perspectives on psychological disorders. The modern medical era, which has endorsed reductionism as the principal way of viewing many health conditions, offers many options for treating psychiatric diagnoses. Pharmacology is a major influence in psychiatric treatment decisions, and despite questions by mental health practitioners about reliance on drugs (Murray, 2009), psychopharmacology provides helpful alternatives. However, pharmacological options for mental health concerns should not be considered in isolation, and the use of drug treatments for cognitive, emotional, and behavioral disorders warrants careful contextual analysis. Mental health practitioners are encouraged to view pharmacology within a comprehensive sociohistorical framework that recognizes the value of a reductionist perspective as part of psychology's rich cognitive and behavioral contributions to contemporary mental health assessment and intervention.

The Role of the Mental Health Expert Witness in Family Law Disputes

1983 ◽  
Vol 28 (4) ◽  
pp. 255-258 ◽  
Author(s):  
Saul V. Levine
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Mental Health Professionals ◽  
Expert Witness ◽  
Family Court ◽  
Amicus Curiae ◽  
Professional Characteristics ◽  
Health Expert ◽  
Adversary System ◽  
Mental Health Expert

Mental health professionals are frequently called upon to appear in Family Court as Expert Witnesses in order to help the judge make difficult decisions in disputed cases, involving issues like custody, access and abuse. The adversary system often serves to intimidate or to antagonize the expert witness, or to render his / her judgement as suspect and even invalid. An approach is suggested in which the expert is designated as an “amicus curiae” (impartial friend of the court), rather than as a “hired gun” by one of the disputants. Even with this procedure, however, the expert witness must possess specific personal and professional characteristics which lend credibility to his/her testimony. The work is difficult, and requires considerable knowledge and skill; the responsibilities are heavy, but the opportunity to do exciting and vital work on behalf of children and families make it more than worthwhile.

Psychoeducational Family Intervention: Benefits and Obstacles Reported by Mental Health Professionals

2017 ◽  
Vol 41 (S1) ◽  
pp. S88-S88
Author(s):  
B. Pocai ◽  
M. Savorani ◽  
G. Borriello ◽  
V. Del Vecchio ◽  
G. Sampogna ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Mental Health Professionals ◽  
Health Professionals ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Ad Hoc ◽  
Family Intervention ◽  
Routine Care ◽  
Bipolar I Disorder ◽  
Health Centres ◽  
Competing Interest

IntroductionDespite several guidelines recommend the use of psychoeducational family interventions (PFIs) as add-on in the treatment of patients with bipolar I disorder (a), their implementation on a large scale remains limited (b).ObjectivesTo identify benefits and obstacles in implementing a PFI in the clinical routine care.MethodsThis was a multicentre, real-world, controlled, outpatient trial, carried out in 11 randomly recruited Italian mental health centres. Mental health professionals received a training on PFI and provided the intervention to patients with bipolar I disorder and their relatives. Difficulties and benefits in performing PFI were collected through an ad-hoc schedule, which was administered at baseline and 5 times during the different stages of the intervention.ResultsMental health professionals report significant improvements in the intervention-related benefits over time (T0 = 5.3 ± 2.0 vs. T5 = 7.9 ± 0.9; P < .0001), in particular in their professional skills (T0 = 6.5 ± 2.3 vs. T5 = 8.0 ± 0.8; P < .01). They also report to be more satisfied with their own work (T0 = 6.6 ± 2.3 vs. T5 = 8.0 ± 1.3; P < .05). The most relevant difficulties were related to the need to integrate the PFI with other work responsibilities and to the lack of time, which did not decrease overtime.ConclusionsPFIs are feasible in routine care for the treatment of patients with bipolar I disorder and their relatives, and main obstacles are related to the organization of mental health centres, and not to the characteristics of the intervention itself.Disclosure of interestThe authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.

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