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Assessing children for the courts

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 January 2018

Caroline Lindsey
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In recent years, there has been growing recognition of the significant incidence of child abuse and neglect in the population, and of its adverse effect on the development of children and their mental and physical health. This awareness has led, especially following the implementation of the Children Act 1989, to an increased demand for psychiatric assessments of children for the courts by social services, solicitors, guardians adlitem and the courts themselves. There has been some reluctance to take up this work, for two main reasons. First, there has been concern that these time-consuming assessments will result in a shift of resources away from treatment, thus having an adverse impact on the balance of child mental health services. In some areas, the need has been recognised within the commissioning and contracting processes. Provision has been increased accordingly, acknowledging that it is part of the responsibility of the health authorities to assist the local authorities in this way.

Type
Research Article
Information
Advances in Psychiatric Treatment , Volume 3 , Issue 6 , November 1997 , pp. 360 - 366
Copyright
Copyright © The Royal College of Psychiatrists 1997 

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