5 | P a g e
Evidence Informed Practitioner and Organisation Social Work Module
752
Title of Systematic Narrative
Review
Community forensic service
provision for adults with a learning
disability who offend
Abstract
Context
Adults with a learning disability who offend remain a socially excluded
group in the United Kingdom (UK) despite government policy efforts to
facilitate their inclusion. Community integration remains problematic and
Community Forensic Learning Disability Team's (CFLDTs) can play a role
in facilitating and enabling community integration.
Specialist learning disability (LD) forensic teams are best placed to deliver
risk assessment and offender management in community settings while
providing an alternative to inpatient therapeutic interventions and helping to
reduce reoffending. It is argued that developing opportunities for offenders
with LD to gain a sense of purpose and wellbeing through participation in
structured meaningful day activities in their communities could assist in risk
management and influence recidivism rates while enhancing community
integration.
There is a lack of national and international into currently community
forensic service provision for adults with a learning disability who offend.
This review fills a gap in knowledge by systematically reviewing current
community forensic service structures, models and provision.
Methods employed in the review
This is a systematic review and narrative synthesis of the empirical
research which has been carried out on the topic 'community forensic
service provision for adults with a learning disability who offend'. Three
databases were explored: Social Care Online, PsychINFO and Criminal
Justice abstracts, and a total of 11 studies that fit the inclusion criteria were
identified.
The concepts terms employed in each database search were as follows:
Learning disab* or developmental disab* or mental retardation or intellectual
disab* or mental handicap or retard* or intellect* disab*
Offend* or forensic or ex-offender
And
Community or community disability services or communit*
And
Provision of services or service or service response or service development.