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Adult Learning and Skills in Forensic Services and Secure Units
Challenges facing learners, tutors and providers
| Date: | Friday 8 December 2006 |
| Venue: | London Resource Centre, 356 Holloway Road, London N7 6PA |
| Ref: | C1404/12/06 |
| Fee*: | £270 - Statutory/Private Organisations; £175 - Voluntary Organisations; £175 - NIACE Members for the first applicant and £150 - for subsequent Member applicants from the same organisation. |
[Background] [Audience] [Programme]
Background
Forensic Services of NHS Trusts cater for people who may pose a significant risk to themselves and others. Forensic Mental Health Services and Forensic Learning Disability Services are aimed at people who are or have been through the criminal justice system. Some people using these services may have severe and complex needs and require long-term high-level support. Others may require short-term interventions and support towards full integration into society and towards employment. Wherever people are within forensic services there may be challenges to providing good quality adult learning and skills opportunities.
Adults with mental health difficulties and/or learning difficulties under the care and supervision of Forensic Services or held within Secure Units are among the most stigmatised and excluded groups within society. Being restricted to secure settings, side effects of medication and the anxieties and fears of the wider community all make access to opportunities, such as adult learning and skills, problematic. While the learning needs of each individual within these services are different, there are many common challenges that have to be overcome in order to provide good teaching and learning to this group of learners.
Not since the “Review of Health and Social Services for Mentally Disordered Offenders and others Requiring Similar Services” in 1992 under the chairmanship of Dr John Reed has any policy consideration been given to the learning and skills needs of people under the care and supervision of Forensic Services. More recently the Learning and Skills Council has highlighted offender learning and skills as a priority area. The recently published report ‘Through Inclusion to Excellence’ (LSC 2005) represents the Learning and Skills Council’s commitment to learners with learning difficulties and/or disabilities, and furthermore, noted the need to ensure quality of provision for learners within Forensic Services in the published proposals ‘Improving services to people with mental health difficulties’ (LSC 2006).
Given these significant policy initiatives it is time to focus on the challenges facing learners, tutors and providers of adult learning and skills provision within Forensic Services and Secure Units.
Using examples of existing practice delegates will be able to:
 | Reflect on their own practice and consider how they might develop it |
| Consider ways in which the sector may support learners and tutors more effectively and thereby improve the quality of provision nationally; and |
| Provide feedback to policy makers on the issues and concerns that need addressing. |
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Audience
The conference will be of interest to:
| Teachers and tutors working in Forensic Services and Secure Units |
| Staff in Forensic Services and Secure Units with a remit to promote access to learning and skills to service users |
| Teachers, tutors and staff in adult learning provision who support learners from Forensic Services |
| Managers of adult learning provision with responsibility for compliance with the Disability Discrimination Act including passing on information, confidentiality and risk assessment. |
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Programme
| 09:45 | Arrival and Registration (Tea/Coffee available) |
| 10:15 | Welcome and Introduction to the
Day Chair: Dr. Peter Lavender, Director for Research, Development and Information, NIACE |
| 10:25 | Keynote Address Paul Tossi, Clinical Services Manager and Andy Martin, Specialist Health Services Manager, Ridgeway Partnership (Oxfordshire Learning Disability NHS Trust) |
| 10:45 | National Social Inclusion
Programme Sarah Hill, National Institute for Mental Health in England (NIMHE) and Head Arts Therapist/Vocational Services Manager, North London Forensic Mental Health Services |
| 11:05 | Questions and Answers |
| 11:15 | Workshops: morning session 1) E-learning in Offender Institutions – what can we learn from this work that may be appropriate to working with learners in forensic settings, Patsy Cummins, NIACE 2) Promoting participation in community-based adult learning and the development of inclusive risk assessment protocols, Sara Stanton, Together - Service User Involvement Directorate (SUD) 3) Integrating Education into Clinical Care: a case study from a high secure hospital. The underlying principles, the process and the challenges of planning and implementing a clinically supportive education curriculum within the context of high secure forensic services. Janet Sellars and Carol Sams, Ashworth Hospital 4) Developing an appropriate curriculum for a medium secure unit for people with learning difficulties and/or mental health difficulties, Sue Sutton, Oaklands College working at Eric Shepherd Unit 5) Educational provision in Forensic in-patient service – the challenges and opportunities, Zoe Gerrard and Gemma Hilton, Barnet College |
| 12:30 | Lunch |
| 13:30 | Workshops: afternoon session (repeated) |
| 14:45 | Discussion and Questions with
panel Sue Carmichael - Valuing People, Sarah Hill - NIMHE , Andy Martin and Paul Tossi - Ridgeway Partnership |
| 15:15 | Closing Remarks from the Chair |
| 15:30 | Close of Conference (Tea/Coffee available) |
This programme is correct at the time of going to press. The organisers reserve the right to make changes to the published programme in the event of one or more of the advertised speakers being unable to attend. Delegates will have no claim against NIACE in respect of such changes.
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