Questionnaire survey of services

Questionnaire survey of services

By way of auditing the levels and types of support provided to carers with relatives or friends in forensic mental health services, a questionnaire survey based on the most recent study in England and Wales (Canning et al, 2009) was conducted across all secure, medium and low secure units, and community services in Scotland.

The survey consisted of 30 items including specific, multiple choice and open questions gathering both quantitative and qualitative information.  The online questionnaire was administered via email to targeted forensic mental health services staff deemed to be knowledgeable about relevant practices; staff were identified initially by the Forensic Network and appropriate respondents, and then confirmed by each service.

The questionnaire aimed to gather information about forensic mental health services/units; the extent of their involvement with, and support provided to carers; how and who provided support to carers; the benefits and challenges of supporting carers; and the perceived uptake and reasons why carers might not be accessing support.