Training probation officers in case formulation for personality disordered offenders

Background: The recent UK Strategy on Managing High Risk of Serious Harm Offenders with Severe Personality Disorder proposes a significant role for Offender Managers (OMs) completing case formulations on personality disordered (PD) offenders. However, there is very little evidence as to whether Offe...

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Main Authors: Brown, Susan, Beeley, Chris, Patel, Gita, Völlm, Birgit
Format: Article
Published: John Wiley & Sons, Ltd 2018
Online Access:https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/33958/
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author Brown, Susan
Beeley, Chris
Patel, Gita
Völlm, Birgit
author_facet Brown, Susan
Beeley, Chris
Patel, Gita
Völlm, Birgit
author_sort Brown, Susan
building Nottingham Research Data Repository
collection Online Access
description Background: The recent UK Strategy on Managing High Risk of Serious Harm Offenders with Severe Personality Disorder proposes a significant role for Offender Managers (OMs) completing case formulations on personality disordered (PD) offenders. However, there is very little evidence as to whether Offender Managers can be taught to carry out case formulation. Aim: The primary aims of this study were to devise and implement a training programme to teach Offender Managers to carry out case formulations, and assess their subsequent ability to do so. A secondary aim was to assess whether the training led to changes in OMs’ attitudes towards working with PD offenders. Method: A five day training programme was delivered to 20 Offender Managers, whose ability to carry out case formulation was assessed before and after the training using a 10 point quality checklist. Attitudes towards PD were also assessed before and after. Qualitative feedback relating to the training was used to provide further insight into the findings. Results: Offender Managers showed a significant improvement in their ability to carry out case formulation following training with 7 out of the 10 quality domains on the quality checklist rated as at least ‘satisfactory’ post-training. Qualitative feedback highlighted reasons for some of the shortfalls in two of the three areas that did not show improvement. Improvements were shown in attitudes towards working with PD offenders in two out of three domains. Conclusion: This study provides some evidence for Offender Managers’ ability to carry out case formulation following training, improvements in attitudes towards working with PD offenders and difficulties specific to this addition to their current role.
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spelling nottingham-339582020-05-04T19:24:25Z https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/33958/ Training probation officers in case formulation for personality disordered offenders Brown, Susan Beeley, Chris Patel, Gita Völlm, Birgit Background: The recent UK Strategy on Managing High Risk of Serious Harm Offenders with Severe Personality Disorder proposes a significant role for Offender Managers (OMs) completing case formulations on personality disordered (PD) offenders. However, there is very little evidence as to whether Offender Managers can be taught to carry out case formulation. Aim: The primary aims of this study were to devise and implement a training programme to teach Offender Managers to carry out case formulations, and assess their subsequent ability to do so. A secondary aim was to assess whether the training led to changes in OMs’ attitudes towards working with PD offenders. Method: A five day training programme was delivered to 20 Offender Managers, whose ability to carry out case formulation was assessed before and after the training using a 10 point quality checklist. Attitudes towards PD were also assessed before and after. Qualitative feedback relating to the training was used to provide further insight into the findings. Results: Offender Managers showed a significant improvement in their ability to carry out case formulation following training with 7 out of the 10 quality domains on the quality checklist rated as at least ‘satisfactory’ post-training. Qualitative feedback highlighted reasons for some of the shortfalls in two of the three areas that did not show improvement. Improvements were shown in attitudes towards working with PD offenders in two out of three domains. Conclusion: This study provides some evidence for Offender Managers’ ability to carry out case formulation following training, improvements in attitudes towards working with PD offenders and difficulties specific to this addition to their current role. John Wiley & Sons, Ltd 2018-01-01 Article PeerReviewed Brown, Susan, Beeley, Chris, Patel, Gita and Völlm, Birgit (2018) Training probation officers in case formulation for personality disordered offenders. Criminal Behaviour and Mental Health, 28 (1). pp. 50-60. ISSN 1471-2857 http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/cbm.2006/full doi:10.1002/cbm.2006 doi:10.1002/cbm.2006
spellingShingle Brown, Susan
Beeley, Chris
Patel, Gita
Völlm, Birgit
Training probation officers in case formulation for personality disordered offenders
title Training probation officers in case formulation for personality disordered offenders
title_full Training probation officers in case formulation for personality disordered offenders
title_fullStr Training probation officers in case formulation for personality disordered offenders
title_full_unstemmed Training probation officers in case formulation for personality disordered offenders
title_short Training probation officers in case formulation for personality disordered offenders
title_sort training probation officers in case formulation for personality disordered offenders
url https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/33958/
https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/33958/
https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/33958/