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This article considers the difficulties faced by social workers and others who have concerns about the reliability of information provided by people they are assessing in England under the Mental Health Act 1983. The article is in two parts, the first part includes descriptions of case studies which highlight difficulties in assessments when assessors need to note what they are told and yet sometimes also fear that the truth of this information might be knowingly or unknowingly masked. The second part of the article argues that a understanding of Shakespeare and other creative writers can enhance and expand empathy and thereby promote more sensitive and aware social work practice. Advantages of allowing as much time as possible for conflicting realities to emerge throughout assessments are advocated along with acknowledgement of the essentially unseeable complexities of attempting to assess people at any one point in time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over the last decade, British governments have advocated a combined policing and health policy based on the premise that everyday more people come to police attention due to mental illness issues. Central authorities emphasise co-produced local community initiatives including street triage and clinical liaison and diversion programmes as mechanisms for better managing mental health issues. The model of governance of policing and mental health developed by the Conservative governments emphasises a decentralisation of services as a means of better managing local demands. Consequently, much of the policy burden falls upon local police forces and the austerity-afflicted NHS overstressing the front lines of delivery. We argue that this rationale challenges the traditionally established model of central-local governance which saw local authorities implementing national policy. However, whilst central government has shifted responsibility for services to local deliverers, the structural and policy barriers to an integrated approach to mental health and policing have proven difficult to change when directed from the centre of government. The executive's continuous direction of policy in a climate of austerity politics triggers not only a debate on the sustainability of local governance but also with regard to what power of delivery local institutions have. We conclude that the nature of governmental decentralisation on cross-sectorial policymaking can jeopardise the creation of sustainable local governance practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article begins with a description of the role of the ‘nearest relative’ in relation to people who are assessed under the Mental Health Act 1983. The rights conferred by this role are defined and explained, and some contentious aspects of the role are highlighted. A discussion about customer satisfaction responses to services provided then follows, both generally and specifically in the context of Health and Social Care. Examples are given of feedback from relatives of people who have encountered mental health crisis services and from service users themselves. A customer satisfaction survey is then described in which 32 nearest relatives gave telephone interviews about their contact with Approved Mental Health Professionals (AMHPs) using the Mental Health Act. The findings demonstrate that, while experiences of the AMHPs were generally positive, the qualities of empathy, explanation, understanding, caring and support were valued particularly highly. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Patterns of violence and the type and distribution of resulting injuries are highly culturally specific. In this study, skeletal data from a historic cemetery (St. Martin's, England) are combined with contemporary sources and modern clinical data to enable the patterning of violence-related injuries to be interpreted. Particular consideration was given to the possibility of a relationship between commonly occurring types of violence and those that are popular in sport. Phillip Walker (1997) suggested that the growth of fist fighting in the early-20th-century United States was stimulated by the rising popularity of boxing. At St. Martin's, a pattern of injuries consistent with fighting in a style specific to boxing is evident, suggesting that developing boxing styles were influential in 18th- and 19th-century Britain as the accepted way of settling interpersonal disputes. This research underlines the importance of interpreting skeletal data in their specific cultural context to gain the maximum information on patterns of behavior. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Presents a survey conducted by the Hertfordshire School Attendance Project regarding school attendance. Participation of 12 secondary schools; Overwhelming majority of students that liked school; Post-registration truancy and blanket truancy.

Background: United Kingdom (UK) government policy advocates the development of a family-centred public health role for health visitors. Studies have suggested that barriers and constraints exist to hinder the development of a public health role. However, few of these have considered the issues from a practitioner perspective., Aim: The aim of the study was to examine the constraints on developing a family-centred public health role in a health visiting service., Methods: An exploratory study was carried out using focus groups with 27 health visitors in one primary health care trust in North West England. Data were transcribed and analysed to identify themes., Findings: Elements of practice that contributed to public health were identified, along with constraints on the development of a family-centred public health role. Three themes were generated from the health visitor focus group discussions as a framework for addressing the constraints: connecting to public health, clarifying the role and changing practice., Conclusions: The study sets out the challenge faced in developing the public health roles of practitioners. Leadership is essential for clarifying the public health role, developing networks between public health and practitioners, and supporting change in practice. Despite the limitations of the study, its findings, together with evidence from previous literature, suggest that there are common issues that face health visiting services in the UK as they seek to develop the public health role.