{"id":114,"date":"2014-05-08T15:52:44","date_gmt":"2014-05-08T15:52:44","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.researchunbound.org.uk\/forensic-mental-health\/?page_id=114"},"modified":"2019-04-10T16:01:35","modified_gmt":"2019-04-10T15:01:35","slug":"experience-of-being-a-forensic-carer","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.researchunbound.org.uk\/forensic-mental-health\/experience-of-being-a-forensic-carer\/","title":{"rendered":"3 Experience of being a forensic carer"},"content":{"rendered":"
This chapter focuses on the findings on carers\u2019 perspectives on the support provided by forensic mental health services.\u00a0 It explores forensic carers\u2019 experience of and views on the journeys of their relatives into and through forensic mental health services and the impact on them, as well as carers\u2019 experience of being a \u2018forensic carer\u2019 and how this impacts.<\/p>\n
An overview of the carers who participated in the survey and interviews is given, showing participants in the study coming from diverse backgrounds and having experience of supporting relatives or friends in all types of forensic service, and from across the three Regions (North, South & East, West) and the State Hospital.<\/p>\n
Over a period of nearly six months, 66 carers replied to the questionnaire survey either online (21 respondents), or by post (45 respondents). \u00a0Given that distribution of information about the study and paper copies of the questionnaire involved a number of routes, it is not possible to calculate a response rate with any certainty.<\/p>\n
However, previous estimates of the potential number of carers at around 500 would suggest a response from at least 10% of forensic carers across Scotland, which considering this a particularly \u2018hard to reach\u2019 group is a reasonable result.\u00a0 Although we would have liked to have reached more forensic carers, 10% was the minimum the commissioners had specified.\u00a0 The bulk of responses came from Tayside and the Greater Glasgow and Clyde areas, although as the table below shows the responses were spread across Scotland, with two from other parts of the UK.<\/p>\n
Table 8: Number of forensic carer responses to the questionnaire by area<\/strong><\/p>\n