Court Diversion and Liaison Audit
Several pieces of work are already underway (e.g. see Court Diversion and Liaison Pilots above) or planned to identify and promote good practice with regard to various aspects of police and/or court mental health assessment, diversion and liaison schemes.
The Office for Criminal Justice Reform (OCJR) commissioned two researchers from Portsmouth University (Winston and Pakes) to conduct a review of current knowledge on effective practice with regard to mentally disordered offenders, and to draw up a 'Mental Health Effective Practice Audit Checklist' (MHEP-AC) on the basis of this review. The MHEP-AC has been piloted with nine assessment, diversion and liaison schemes, which has shown that it can identify successful and sustainable models of effective practice.
Offender Health (Department of Health) is producing, in consultation with partners in health and social care and criminal justice, guidance which will review the current provision of court assessment, diversion and liaison schemes nationally and identify models of effective practice, underpinned by research evidence where this exists.
In addition, the OCJR, in consultation with Offender Health and relevant non-governmental organisations, is building on the MHEP-AC work with the aim of being able to demonstrate the cost-effectiveness of assessment, diversion and liaison schemes, thereby strengthening the evidence base for them. This work includes developing a recommended minimum data set, for use by schemes.
Offender Health
Offender Health has asked each of the nine CSIP regions to focus work on court liaison and diversion, with the aim of developing a baseline of current provision and the effectiveness of that provision where it exists. Thought was given as to how this resource can best be focussed particularly in light of work already completed and the current Lord Bradley review. This work should also enable the development of an action plan for the respective regions and provide an overview of current national provision.
Proposal
Each CSIP region has commissioned a piece of work which will:
- establish the number of court diversion schemes in operation in their region and the courts and police custody suites covered;
- identify the comprehensiveness in this coverage in terms of personnel; availability and access.
- identify gaps in the coverage of schemes (which courts and police custody suites have no or limited coverage)
- gather specific details on each of the schemes in operation in the region, with particular reference to areas of good/innovative practice
- carry out an assessment of each of the schemes using the ‘Mental Health Effective Practice Audit Checklist' (MHEP-AC)
- produce a report for Offender Health detailing all of the information captured.
In London Nacro, in partnership with Together Forensic Mental Health Practitioner Service, were commissioned to carry out an audit of all the Court Diversion/Criminal Justice Mental Health Liaison schemes in London using an audit tool developed by Department of Health, Ministry of Justice and Portsmouth University. A report covering all London schemes will feed into Lord Bradley's Review, alongside reports from all other CSIP regions, to encompass a national picture of court diversion and liaison. In London, we will be holding a launch event in early 2009 to promote the findings of the report and develop, with participating schemes, a future plan for support and progress.
