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About Us
Nacro is the leading independent voluntary organisation working in the field of crime reduction and criminal justice. To find out more, visit the Nacro website Nacro believes that responses to defendants and offenders with mental health issues should focus on their care and treatment rather than punishment. There are many obstacles preventing offenders with mental health issues from getting the care they need - lack of resources, agencies not working together effectively either strategically or operationally, lack of specialist skills in the criminal justice system, problems around information sharing, and a reluctance on the part of key staff who might not want to work with a group that can be difficult and unrewarding. There are also difficulties in balancing the needs of the individual offender while safeguarding the interests of the community. Nacro's Mental Health Unit has been working to tackle these problems since 1990. We are funded by Health and Offender Partnerships. We work with government and agencies at a national and local level to develop more effective ways of dealing with defendants and offenders with mental health needs.
Information Service We provide a FREE Information Service to practitioners with an interest in issues relating to mental health and offending. You might also find it helpful to have a look at our Frequently Asked Questions page which might answer your query. Please note that we are not legal experts and expert legal advice should be sought where applicable. Telephone - 020 7840 1209, Monday- Friday, 9am - 5pm (Please leave a message if not available) Email - mentalhealth@nacro.org.uk Nacro also has a free Resettlement Helpline for ex-offenders their families and friends on 0800 0181 259. Current Projects Lancashire MDO Single Point of Contact (SPOC) The SPOC is led by Lancashire MDO Coordinating Group through Nacro's Mental Health Unit. It is a time limited initiative (July 2008 - 31 March 2009) to collect information on local initiatives and services within Lancashire in relation to offenders with mental health needs. Please send your information to Nargis Younis or Dawn McAleenan or telephone 01772 824 915 Evaluation of the Black and Minority Ethnic Patient Experience at Wathwood Hospital Nacro have been commissioned by Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust to provide an evaluative analysis of services provided at Wathwood Medium Secure Unit as they impact on BME service users. Policy development We respond to government and other consultations on mental health issues. Recent examples can be found in the Resources section. We also produce policy reports, good practice guides and briefing papers on a variety of topics in relation to mental health and offending. Items for sale can be found in Publications. Briefing papers and consultation responses can be obtained from the Resources section. Data flows and information sharing in offender healthcare In 2006, Health and Offender Partnerships commissioned Nacro to review what health data is collected by the criminal justice system and examine information sharing where it related to health information held on offenders at different parts of the criminal justice system.
Nacro have produced a series of papers setting out the desired standards (i.e. the necessary skills and arrangements), which should be present when working with offenders with mental health issues. The ‘standards’ will apply to different points of intervention in the criminal justice process where there is an interface between the criminal justice system and that of health and social care. Consultancy Services Nacro provides a focused consultancy service to multi-agency groups, strategic bodies, and agencies working with offenders with mental health issues, including: probation, social services, sentencers, court staff and health professionals. We undertake reviews and conduct audits of existing arrangements for offenders with mental health issues, help to develop information and recording systems, and promote effective inter-agency working. Examples of this work include: Court Diversion and the CJS audit Nacro were commissioned by CSIP South West and the London Development Centre to undertake the MHEP-AC audit of criminal justice mental health liaison schemes in the South West and London. The work will feed into Lord Bradley's review of diversion for offenders with mental health issues. South East Care Services Improvement Partnership In 2007 we undertook a mapping exercise on behalf of CSIP South East in relation to offender health and equality and diversity issues. We mapped all projects and pilots in the region associated with diversity and race equality. This included gender, disability, sexuality, race and age. South West Care Services Improvement Partnership Nacro were commissioned by Care Services Improvement Partnership in the South West in 2006 to map arrangements for mentally disordered offenders in the South West. The report also highlights the gaps which exist and makes general suggestions as to what arrangements should be in place. "the report ...... presents a well written summary of the complex structures in place (or not) and clear recommendations on what we should be aspiring towards" Lynn Emslie, Lead Consultant, Health & Social Care in Criminal Justice, CSIP South West
Bristol Primary Care Trust Nacro assisted Bristol Primary Care Trust in setting up a new court assessment and referral service in conjunction with Avon and Wiltshire Mental Health NHS Partnership Trust. The scheme is now operational and will accept referrals from anyone from custody staff to defence solicitors. Derbyshire Mental Health Services NHS Trust In 2005 Nacro carried out a short project examining the numbers of Black and Minority Ethnic (BME) patients admitted to a low secure psychiatric intensive care unit (both currently and retrospectively) with a particular focus on criminal justice pathways. For a full report see Black and Minority ethnic patients in low secure (PICU) Services in Derbyshire
Warrington Nacro’s Mental Health Unit has worked with Warrington Criminal Justice Liaison Team (CJLT) and other agencies to review the work of the team, the effectiveness of arrangements for mentally disordered offenders locally, and to explore ways in which existing good practice could be enhanced. For a full report s ee A Review of the Warrington Criminal Justice Liaison Team
Wessex Consortium Nacro undertook a patient survey on behalf of the Wessex Consortium. A sample group of 20 patients at a high security hospital and aMedium Secure Unit were interviewed to find out what they thought the regime in a new, long-term medium secure unit should be like. A new long-stay unit was due to open in 2002 and findings from the survey helped with the planning and development of the regime in the new unit. Lancashire (North West Secure Commissioning Team) Following a successful initiative on Merseyside where Nacro’s Mental Health Unit were asked to review and evaluate existing services provided to MDOs, the North West secure commissioning team further asked Nacro to become involved with developments in Lancashire. After consultation with the Lancashire MDO steering group it was decided that the initial focus should be a review of existing services for MDOs and an evaluation of the effectiveness of arrangements.
For a full report see Mentally disordered offenders in Lancashire Sussex Section 136 Pilot Nacro was asked to carry out a retrospective evaluation of the pilot arrangements by the Sussex Criminal Justice and Mental Health Steering Group following a conference at Slaugham in 2001. It was hoped that this might yield information that would provide a basis for further considering the nature of arrangements in Worthing and informing discussions about whether the Worthing model approach, or a variant, might helpfully be applied in other parts of Sussex.
Annual Mental Health and Crime Conference We hold an annual conference on issues relating to mental health and the criminal justice system. Our 8th Annual Mental Health and Crime conference will be held on 3rd-4th September, 2008 at the University of Derby Abstracts and presenter biographies are also available for download. For more details or sponsorship opportunities contact Cynthia Sutherland on 020 7840 7219. For more information you can read our Conference report and feedback for the 7th Annual Mental Health and Crime Conference "Delivering mental health services for offenders" held at Jubilee Campus, University of Nottingham in September 2007. Plenary sessions: Pauline Campbell's Speech - Delivering Mental Health Services for Offenders Plenary Slides - Delivering Mental Health services for offenders Workshops: 'No One Knows', Prison Reform Trust 'The experience of Prison Transfer Pilots in Sussex', Martin Corfe
Criminal Justice Mental Health Liaison Schemes Nacro undertook a survey of Criminal Justice Mental Health Liaison Schemes across England and Wales with the aim of gaining a better understanding of which areas of England and Wales have a scheme. We maintain a database of these schemes along with details of prison mental health in-reach services. Nacro published a report of the survey of Court Diversion/Criminal Justice Mental Health Liaison Schemes for mentally disordered offenders in March 2005. The full report is available to download from our Resources area by typing 'court diversion' in the keyword search box. If you work for a Criminal Justice Mental Health Liaison or diversion scheme and you think we may be unaware of it, or if you are setting up a scheme and need advice, please contact Lucy Smith on 020 7840 6718. Nacro worked with the Institute for Criminal Policy Research, King's College on an evaluation of Criminal Justice Liaison and Diversion schemes for women offenders with mental health problems.
Survey of YOT Health Practitioners- A good practice guide In 2006 Nacro conducted a survey amongst health practitioners working with Youth Offending Teams (YOTs) to highlight good practice and to establish some baseline information about how they operate. Although the health practitioner will be dealing with a variety of general health issues, the focus was on mental health. Nacro published a report of the survey of YOTs and a good practice guide for YOT health practitioners building on examples of good practice identified in interviews with health practitioners.
Training
We can provide training and training materials for a wide range of agencies on mental health awareness, risk assessment and management and other related issues for practitioners. In 2004 we developed, organised and facilitated a training programme across Merseyside & Cheshire with funding from the Merseyside and Cheshire Workforce Development Confederation and the Learning Foundation. Three sets of free multi-agency training days "Mentally Disordered Offenders - Not my Problem", "MDOs and Risk" and "An Introduction to Dual Diagnosis" were held with the aim of encouraging health, social care and criminal justice agencies to network and share experiences, problems and good practice. Feedback from previous delegates: “This was an excellent course well-tailored to its audience needs.” “Very useful, very informative ... Experienced deliverers, which made asking questions favourable.” Our training sessions are usually charged at a daily rate of £500 plus travel, expenses and preparation time. Alternatively your area or MDO steering group might be interested in running a series of training days similar to those in Merseyside and Cheshire. For more information please contact Dave Spurgeon on 0117 935 0404.
Training Materials "Working with mentally disordered offenders" Training pack on CD-Rom This training pack has been developed primarily for practitioners and managers from all agencies in the criminal justice, health and social care sectors. The pack has a modular structure which allows individual sections to be used on their own or taken together to form a comprehensive programme. For more information see Publications. Mental Health Reference Group All Nacro's Mental Health work is overseen by a Reference Group which meets quarterly. Interim Chair: Mary Whyham, Chair, North West Ambulance Service Members Janey Antoniou, Freelance Writer and Trainer Dr Annie Bartlett, Consultant Forensic Psychiatrist Michael Dewane, Formerly of Mental Health legislation branch, Department of Health Denise Duncan, Bench Manager, South Western Magistrates' Court Dr Seena Fazel, Consultant Forensic Psychiatrist Geraldine Huka Angus Cameron, Mental Health Advisor, London Probation Service Sarah Johnston, Scott-Moncrieff, Harbour & Sinclair Andy Parker, Senior Crime Advisor, Sheffield Police Fiona Wilks-Riley, Division of Forensic Psychology, British Psychological Society Andrew Voyce, Mental health service user Observers Sally Averill, Policy Advisor, Crown Prosecution Service Anne Richardson, Policy Lead for Offender Mental Health, Health and Offender Partnerships |
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