Suchergebnisse

Abstract
Although prisoners have significant care needs and are particularly vulnerable following release, there have been longstanding concerns about their social care. Among its provisions, the 2014 Care Act defined the responsibilities of local authorities for identifying and meeting the social care needs of prisoners. Here, we report the findings of a national survey of local authorities undertaken in 2016, which explored the early arrangements put in place following the Care Act for prisoners on release. Eighty-eight of 158 local authorities responded, including 81 per cent of those with prisons in their catchment area. Key themes included difficulties with case finding, with a reliance on referrals from other agencies, although provision for those already known to local authorities generally worked well. Other themes were difficulties in sharing assessments and information between local authorities, and problems with care planning and co-ordination with other agencies. We discuss some of the tensions and challenges inherent in implementing the Act and highlight areas requiring attention, including the need for more robust case finding and systems for information transfer. We also suggest measures to strengthen arrangements.

Summary In light of longstanding concern about the lack of social care in prisons, the 2014 Care Act made local authorities in England responsible for identifying, assessing and meeting prisoners' social care needs. However, service planning is difficult, for little is known about the level of demand or the extent to which the needs of older and younger prisoners differ. Against this background, face-to-face interviews (including screens for social care needs, substance misuse and mental health problems) were undertaken with a sample of male prisoners in North-West England. Findings Three hundred and ninety-nine participants were aged 18–49 and 80 aged 50 plus. Overall, more than a 10th of participants had problems maintaining personal hygiene, dressing and/or getting around the prison safely; a significant minority lacked meaningful occupation; and approaching a sixth acknowledged problems forming/maintaining relationships. Older prisoners were significantly more likely than younger prisoners to need help with personal hygiene, dressing and moving around safely and to identify problems with their physical health and memory. Applications The findings highlight the substantial number of older prisoners who could potentially benefit from some form of social care and support if they are to maintain their safety and dignity and make best use of their time in prison. They also underline the need to develop suitable screening and assessment tools for older prisoners, and for further research on the best service models for prisoners requiring intimate personal care.

ObjectivesPrivate law children cases are disputes, usually between parents after relationship breakdown, about arrangements for a child's upbringing, such as where they should live and/or who they should see. To inform policy and practice, more information is needed about the families involved, including their characteristics, circumstances and vulnerabilities.
ApproachThis paper presents findings from research by the Family Justice Data Partnership – a collaboration between Lancaster and Swansea Universities – funded by the Nuffield Family Justice Observatory. Anonymised routinely-collected, individual-level, population-scale family justice data from Cafcass Cymru was linked with hospital and GP records, within the Secure Anonymised Information Linkage (SAIL) Databank for 18,653 adults involved in private law proceedings in Wales between 2014/15 and 2019/20 and a comparison group of 186,470 adults not involved in court proceedings, matched on age, gender, deprivation. The proportion of adults in the two groups with several health-related vulnerabilities recorded was compared.
ResultsAdults involved in private law proceedings were found to have higher prevalence of mental health problems, substance use, self-harm and exposure to domestic violence and abuse than the matched comparison group. Both men and women involved in private law proceedings were between two and three times as likely to have anxiety and depression than their peers in the comparison group. Almost 1 in 6 (15.3%) cohort women and more than 1 in 10 cohort men (10.7%) had a history of self-harm, again indicating a level of vulnerability more than double that observed in the comparison group. The research also revealed greater overall use of healthcare services by adults in private law proceedings, with the largest differences seen in the need for emergency health care.
ConclusionThis research has uncovered the heightened needs and vulnerabilities of both women and men involved in private family law applications. The findings have important implications for the family justice system, and for health and other services, and need to be considered in relation to the current programme of reform.

ObjectivesUnder section 31 (s.31) of the UK Children Act 1989, public law care proceedings can be issued if there is concern a child is subject to, or at risk of significant harm. We examined health vulnerabilities of parents involved in public law care proceedings in the two-year period prior to involvement.
ApproachOur study created an anonymised individual-level population-based cohort, with a matched comparison group of parents in Wales who were not subject to care proceedings, matched on age, sex and deprivation. Family court data provided by Cafcass Cymru were linked to population-level healthcare records held within the Secure Anonymised Information Linkage (SAIL) Databank. Demographic characteristics, overall health service use and health profiles of parents of children subject to s.31 care proceedings between 2011 and 2019 were examined.
ResultsData were available for 8,821 parents involved in care proceedings between 2011 and 2019, with a comparison group of 32,006 parents. Nearly half (47.6%) of cohort parents resided in the most deprived quintile. Higher levels of healthcare use were found for cohort mothers and fathers compared to the comparison group across multiple healthcare settings, with the most pronounced differences for emergency department attendances (59.3% vs 37.0%). Health conditions with the largest variation between groups were related to mental health (43.6% vs 16.0%), substance use (19.4% vs 1.6%) and injuries (41.5% vs 23.6%).
ConclusionThis study highlights the heightened socioeconomic and health vulnerabilities of parents who experience care proceedings concerning a child. Better understanding of the needs and vulnerabilities of this population may provide opportunities to improve a range of support and preventative interventions that respond to crises in the community.