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Working in partnership with probation

The first two years of a mental health worker scheme in a probation service in Wandsworth

Section of Forensic Psychiatry, St George's Hospital Medical School, Cranmer Terrace, London SW17 0RE

Nick Bishop, Mental Health Worker

79 East Hill, London SW18 2QE

Correspondence: ^* Correspondence: Department of Clinical Psychology, Salomon Centre, Broomhill Rd, Tunbridge Wells, Kent TN3 0TG

Aims and method To describe the characteristics of probationers assessed (n=83) and supported (n=31) by a mental health worker (MHW) attached to a probation service. A survey of cases and case descriptions.

Results Referrals were predominantly White, unemployed males on probation orders. Most had acquisitive/property and violent convictions along with substance misuse problems and personality disorder diagnoses. The MHW supported probationers already in contact with psychiatric services and provided a safety net, and sometimes sole support, to those who were not.

Clinical implications The MHW helped to bridge the gap between criminal justice and mental health systems by facilitating contact between probationers and psychiatric services. The clinical effectiveness of the scheme should now be examined.