Carer Support – Forensic Services
What is Forensic Services?
Forensic services specifically cater to individuals who have been diagnosed with a ‘mental disorder’ (as defined by the Mental Health Act 2003), specifically those who have been involved with the criminal justice system. Forensic Services operate across varying levels of secure hospital environments (low, medium, and high security, such as the State Hospital) as well as in the community and prisons.
How Can Lanarkshire Links Support?
Lanarkshire Links understands that everyone navigating forensic or secure mental health services deserves a recovery journey that is truly their own.
Just like anyone else accessing mental health support, people in forensic services must have their voices heard and be given the power to shape the care they receive. Every individual deserves high-quality treatment that respects their humanity and supports their unique path toward a meaningful future.
Lanarkshire Links is a peer-led charity commissioned specifically to lead on engagement and participation across mental health services in Lanarkshire. For both people who use Forensic services or their carers Lanarkshire Links is here to;
Champion the Voice of Experience
We believe that being in a forensic setting should not mean being silenced. We aim to ensure that service users have a seat at the table, allowing them to directly influence and improve the services they use.
Promoting the Triangle of Care
We actively promote the Triangle of Care model, which recognises that recovery is most successful when there is a strong, three-way partnership between the service user, the mental health professional, and the carer. In a forensic context, where families often feel more isolated or stigmatised, we ensure carers are listened to, informed, and treated as essential partners in care.
Carer Support
We work with Beckford Lodge to provide specific support groups for the families and carers of those in forensic wards. This offers a safe, confidential space to navigate the unique challenges of supporting a loved one within a secure environment.
Carer Support
We work with Beckford Lodge to provide specific support groups for the families and carers of those in forensic wards. This offers a safe, confidential space to navigate the unique challenges of supporting a loved one within a secure environment.
Carer Support – Forensic Services
When a loved one enters the forensic mental health system, the experience can be deeply traumatic for the whole family. Lanarkshire Links understand that as a carer of someone with a mental illness, personality disorder with or without a learning disability can bring its own set of challenges and can make it incredibly difficult to cope. Especially when your loved one has reached a point of crisis, that has led to an offence being committed resulting in contact with the police or prison services.
As a carer, you are now suddenly faced with supporting someone in a highly restricted environment. It is vital that your relative’s rights are safeguarded and that they receive the best possible treatment when their liberty is taken away.
We also recognise that many families face ‘intersectional stigma’, where previously they have been managing stigma by association for many years, with caring for a person with a mental illness. However, by coming into the support of Forensic Services, they are negotiating a new stigma that comes along with caring for someone inside the justice system. These overlapping layers of discrimination can create unique barriers to accessing support and feeling heard.
Lanarkshire Links are committed to providing a space that understands these complexities and treats every family with the dignity and specific respect they deserve.
During this overwhelming time, families can often feel completely excluded from the crucial decisions that impact everyone involved.
How Our Group Can Help
To ensure your voice is heard, Lanarkshire Links alongside our NHS Lanarkshire colleagues facilitate a dedicated support group. Our primary aim is to focus on you and support you in your caring role. While the group is not a space to discuss the clinical details of individual patients, it provides a safe, welcoming environment where you can:
Share Your Experience
Connect with others who truly understand the unique challenges of being a forensic carer.
Have Your Say
Raise and discuss broader issues regarding your caring role and the services being provided to the person you care for.
Find Support
Navigate a complex and often isolating system with the guidance of Lanarkshire Links and NHS professionals.