This paper offers an examination of the utility of forensic psychological assessments that were carried out under the instruction of Catholic Church Safeguarding Coordinators (SCs) in England. It is based upon feedback received from SCs using a questionnaire sent in relation to priests evaluated by a private, secular, psychological practice, between January 2019 and December 2021. The results are explored and the authors note a broadly positive response to Likert-scale and narrative response items. The survey also identified perceived problems with the Church's past reliance upon 'in-house' professionals to undertake such assessments.

This paper was developed to provide some informed advice about establishing and maintaining an independent psychology practice. It emphasises the area of expert witness work with the courts, including assessments, treatment, report preparation and expert witness testimony. It describes potential benefits and pitfalls associated with taking such a career decision, providing advice around the need for professional protection, establishing a practice identity, contending with the unique legal and funding challenges that come with this work, as well as actual guidance about court reporting. The article concludes with a discussion about developing a stable and robust practice that will weather legal and social changes which can impact on maintaining security, as well as exploring internal practice issues that can enable a consistently responsive approach to dealing with new hurdles that may arise.

Abstract This paper reflects the views of Catholic safeguarding coordinators (SCs) with regard to the inclusion of the polygraph in forensic psychological risk assessments that they have commissioned. The contents are derived from feedback forms sought of these instructing parties, relating to fifteen priests referred for assessment by SCs from eight different Catholic dioceses in England. The SCs responded to a post-assessment survey including a range of questions concerning their perceptions of the utility of independent, secularly organised, forensic psychological risk assessments undertaken during the period from January 2019 to December 2021. Feedback was obtained in relation to twelve of the clerics, with two SCs having left their positions during the period and as such, not avail able to provide feedback, and one SC not responding to the feedback request. Replies were received from SCs representing seven of the twenty-two Catholic dioceses in England. The overall survey results reflected that a significant majority of respondents positively connoted the value of independent secularly organised forensic psychological risk assessments. However, their expressed views about the polygraph in this context were more varied, thus prompting the authors to produce this separate paper.

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The authors offer a volume here that makes attachment theory very readily understandable and applicable for social work and social care, as well as professionals and family members involved in supporting older adults. It provides essential information about how attachment challenges and insecurities can be activated, creating adjustment concerns within families and care settings. It also offers clear guidance to effectively respond to security and safety needs that may arise in the lives of older people. In relation to this, the book takes a strengths-based approach, explaining these principles and how they inform practice with examples involving positive risk taking, informed family participation with dementia care, end-of-life joint decision making and the general empowerment of older adults. The authors employ the Dynamic-Maturational Model (DMM) of attachment (Crittenden, 2008) in their description of attachment strategies. They note that, in many people, a secure type B attachment strategy exists with the individual relying, in a balanced way, on their thoughts and feelings when trying to meet their security needs. However, owing to the presence of less predictable or attuned attachment figures during early life, some individuals acquire insecure attachment strategies.

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to consider the impact of mental capacity legislation when applied to parents with learning difficulties who lack capacity within childcare and family law proceedings in England and Wales. Design/methodology/approach The paper relies on a range of material including reports published by independent mental health foundations, official inquiries and other public bodies. It also refers to academic and practitioner material in journals and government guidance. Findings The paper critically reviews the application of the guidance when assessing mental capacity legislation as applied in England and Wales and offers by way of illustration several case examples where psychological assessments, and the enhancement of capacity, have assisted parents who were involved in childcare and family law proceedings. Research limitations/implications There has been little published research or governmental reports on the number of cases when parents involved in childcare and family law proceedings have been found to lack capacity. No published prevalence data are available on the times when enhancing capacity has resulted in a change of outcome in childcare and family law proceedings. Practical implications The duty is on the mental health practitioners assessing mental capacity that they do so in a structured and supportive role adhering to good practice guidance and follow the guiding principles of mental capacity legislation assuming that the individual has capacity unless it is established that they lack capacity. Guidance and training is needed to ensure that the interpretation of the Mental Capacity Act (MCA) and its application is applied consistently. Social implications For those who are considered to lack mental capacity to make specific decisions, particularly within childcare and family law proceedings, safeguards are in place to better support such individuals and enhance their capacity in order that they can participate more fully in proceedings. Originality/value While the MCA legislation has now been enacted for over ten years, there is very little analysis of the implications of capacity assessments on parents involved in childcare and family law proceedings. This paper presents an overview and, in places, a critical analysis of the new safeguarding duties of mental health practitioners when assessing for, and enhancing capacity in parents.

This paper focuses on the introduction of the mental capacity legislation and in particular its application to care and family proceedings in the UK.It reviews challenges with regards to its implementation, noting serious shortfalls in its use even a decade after the mental capacity act was introduced.Guidance is provided within the paper with regard to maximizing capacity and involvement of individuals in care proceedings where these issues have been raised.Case examples are also used to clarify and to contextualize these matters.

The psychological assessment of novice and experienced clerics is an important component of ordination, suitability, and risk evaluation to ensure that representatives of religious organizations are equipped, motivated, and safe for a life commitment to a faith vocation. It is the authors’ opinion that such assessments should be conducted by skilled psychologists with expertise that covers occupational, clinical, and forensic domains. Further, the authors emphasize the importance of an objective and secular assessment to better inform the church about its role and responsibility for the oversight and spiritual development of the cleric. A thorough psychological assessment should incorporate a multimodal approach to information gathering, which includes a comprehensive review of background information and medical records, a personal history interview, a mental status examination, and administration of relevant psychometric measures and assessment tools. We also advise that, upon completion of the assessment, the requesting religious organization should be offered the opportunity to meet with the evaluating psychologist to discuss suitability issues and, if necessary, risk management planning.

Attachment theory has had a profound influence on our understanding of human relationships. This paper focuses on the application of the Dynamic‐Maturational Model of attachment to children involved in care and family proceedings. It describes the central principles of attachment as developed by Ainsworth et al. ( ); Bowlby ( ); Crittenden ( ) and Main ( ). Attachment patterns are explored and the circumstances under which these various engagement strategies arise. The authors provide two case examples of different insecure attachment styles. They include brief background information, observations about clinical presentation and formulation sections, offering the reader an opportunity to integrate their thinking about how different insecure attachment styles necessitate alternative intervention approaches. The paper highlights the complexity of assessing attachment in different circumstances, and the authors propose that this article should be viewed as a ‘primer’ for helping practitioners to take better account of attachment issues whenever undertaking assessments within the context of child and family proceedings. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. ‘The paper highlights the complexity of assessing attachment in different circumstances’ Key Practitioner Messages Attachment theory applies to every stage of life. If the baby's care is predictable but not attuned, she learns that thinking protects her and displaying negative emotions endangers her. When the baby's carer is unpredictable and inconsistently attuned, she learns that exaggerating emotions gets results. Mother was unaware that her inconsistency worsened Tammy's behaviour. Anna experienced feelings of self‐blame due to her mother feeling overwhelmed. Assessing attachment can be very complex where a child experiences extended trauma. ‘Assessing attachment can be very complex where a child experiences extended trauma’

This slim volume provides an up to date synthesis of what is known or conjectured about sexual homicide offenders. It compares and contrasts models and typologies developed and employed over the la...

Chapter 20 Conclusions: Reflections and Formulations Leigh Harkins, Leigh HarkinsSearch for more papers by this authorTanya Garrett, Tanya GarrettSearch for more papers by this authorDaniel T. Wilcox, Daniel T. WilcoxSearch for more papers by this author Leigh Harkins, Leigh HarkinsSearch for more papers by this authorTanya Garrett, Tanya GarrettSearch for more papers by this authorDaniel T. Wilcox, Daniel T. WilcoxSearch for more papers by this author Book Editor(s):Daniel T. Wilcox, Daniel T. WilcoxSearch for more papers by this authorTanya Garrett, Tanya GarrettSearch for more papers by this authorLeigh Harkins, Leigh HarkinsSearch for more papers by this author First published: 08 October 2014 https://doi.org/10.1002/9781118674352.ch20 AboutPDFPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShareShare a linkShare onFacebookTwitterLinked InRedditWechat Summary Case studies can highlight not only the heterogeneity of cases across types of sex offenders, but also the great variability within types. They can also highlight the many similarities and commonalities that are components of effective practice, not just in work with sex offenders, but in therapeutic work in general. The use of the case examples outlined here can bring to life the work involved with this challenging and vulnerable population. They can tell us what did or did not work when these approaches are implemented in real life practice with individuals who have multiple needs and this information be used as a guide to inform future individualized work. Some of the challenges and examples of good practice described by the authors are collated here as well as directions for future research. Sex Offender Treatment: A Case Study Approach to Issues and Interventions RelatedInformation