The caring role in a forensic context was said to be \u2018a difficult one to define\u2019 according to some of those we interviewed.\u00a0 This was on account of the nature of secure hospitals or living in the community under a restriction order, resulting in carers feeling \u2018inadequate\u2019 in their role, even \u2018institutionalised and intimidated\u2019.\u00a0 Providing practical and emotional support were core elements of the role.\u00a0 Commonly, forensic carers supporting their relative or friend in the community were giving practical help, offering emotional support including a check on reality, being a point of contact for services, accompanying their relative to appointments and being aware of triggers to ill-health.\u00a0 Some felt burdened in this role and felt they ought to do less:<\/p>\n
I\u2019ve always been the one that went and did things for whoever I could but now I\u2019ve got to take a wee back step and say to myself `how long am I going to last at this rate?\u2019 (partner)<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
On entering a secure hospital setting it was often assumed by carers themselves and others that the caring role was suspended. \u00a0However, for forensic carers the reality was that they continued to support their relative, including practically through visits, taking food and other items into hospital, being involved emotionally, being a named person, offering support with rights, maintaining contact with other family members, and being a point of contact for services through phone calls and visits.<\/p>\n
Thinking and worrying about someone who is away from home in this situation, as well as the circumstances of the index offence that may have led to admission to forensic mental health services, was a significant emotional burden. \u00a0The impact of the index offence on family members cannot be underestimated:<\/p>\n
It broke my mum’s heart. (sister)<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
There\u2019s no-one else, I\u2019m the only person, me singularly and it\u2019s hell on earth at times, it\u2019s hell, it\u2019s a living hell. (sister)<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Forensic carers advocated for their relative, for instance, assisting with securing legal services and other information, writing letters to MPs and councils, being involved with the press, and securing accommodation when the person was discharged from hospital. \u00a0As one interviewee commented:<\/p>\n
The good thing about being a carer is that you know at least that you can be there to speak for them when they can\u2019t. (mother)<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
<\/p>\n
The forensic carers\u2019 role was not constant or fixed. \u00a0It changed over years, with some interviewees acknowledging that this could be the work of a lifetime, although they may not have anticipated this at the start.\u00a0 Their role was \u2018reactive rather than proactive\u2019, responding to whatever was needed by their relative:<\/p>\n
Your experience as a carer is always influenced by your relative\u2019s situation and experience. (sister)<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Whereas services assumed that many people within forensic mental health services were no longer in touch with family and friends and had no-one they could call a \u2018carer\u2019, the participants in our study were all in regular contact and did not see that as ending:<\/p>\n
I will never stop fighting for him. (father)<\/p><\/blockquote>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The caring role in a forensic context was said to be \u2018a difficult one to define\u2019 according to some of those we interviewed.\u00a0 This was on account of the nature of secure hospitals or living in the community under a restriction order, resulting in carers feeling \u2018inadequate\u2019 in their role, even \u2018institutionalised and intimidated\u2019.\u00a0 Providing … Continue reading Forensic carers\u2019 role<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"parent":114,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","template":"","meta":[],"categories":[],"tags":[],"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.researchunbound.org.uk\/forensic-mental-health\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/141"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.researchunbound.org.uk\/forensic-mental-health\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.researchunbound.org.uk\/forensic-mental-health\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.researchunbound.org.uk\/forensic-mental-health\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.researchunbound.org.uk\/forensic-mental-health\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=141"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.researchunbound.org.uk\/forensic-mental-health\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/141\/revisions"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.researchunbound.org.uk\/forensic-mental-health\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/114"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.researchunbound.org.uk\/forensic-mental-health\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=141"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.researchunbound.org.uk\/forensic-mental-health\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=141"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.researchunbound.org.uk\/forensic-mental-health\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=141"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}