This Training Opportunity

Many practitioners have knowledge and experience in applying risk assessment guidance in their workplaces – for example, the HCR-20 V3 or RSVP V2 in forensic mental health and prison services and court proceedings. However, the needs of the clients to be assessed are evolving; they are more complex now than ever, presenting risks in multiple areas linked to multiple problems and challenges of a variety of kinds, and novel areas of risk require our expert consideration. Therefore, the expertise of practitioners must also evolve and deepen.

This course is intended to advance the skills of practitioners who wish to improve how they (i) prepare to engage in risk assessment and management practice where the requirement is complex and multifaceted, (ii) work effectively with clients and agencies to that end, and (iii) communicate their findings in meaningful and impactful ways. The impetus for this course is the publication of the second edition of Managing Clinical Risk: A Guide to Effective Practice, edited by Caroline Logan and Lorraine Johnstone, to which Lisa Davies contributed substantially. 

This three-day in-person training opportunity builds on what has come before, including what participants bring to the course through their experience and current practice. 

Day 1 will begin by reviewing the structured professional judgement (SPJ) approach to risk assessment and management. We will examine key parts of the risk evaluation process, namely clarifying the terms of reference for a request for support in harm prevention planning, preparing preliminary hypotheses, information gathering and consultation skills, risk formulation and communication, in addition to triage and case prioritisation. In addition, we will examine the direct links between these tasks and forensic clinical interviewing skills and risk management planning and implementation, focusing on the role of risk formulation. In the afternoon of Day 1 we will discuss techniques for combining risk guidance to maximise our understanding of complex risk. And we will introduce case studies that will be the focus for Days 2 and 3. 

Day 2 will be led by Ms Davies. This will be a day of highly specialised training in risk assessment and management in relation to organised crime, modern slavery, and human trafficking. This day will demonstrate how the use of the HCR-20 V3 and RSVP V2 may be combined with the guidance offered in the Multi-Level Guidelines V2 (MLG V2) and other relevant risk decision-support aids to create a combined framework for the evaluation and risk management process. The case studies introduced on Day 1 will be discussed throughout this day, which will build on all the material covered that day. 

Day 3, will be lead by Dr. Logan. This will be a day of highly specialised training in risk assessment and management in relation to violent extremism and grievance-fuelled violence, including workplace violence. Day 3 will demonstrate how the HCR-20 V3 may be combined with the guidance offered in the MLG V2 and other relevant decision-support aids, including those developed specifically to address ideologically motivated violence, to ensure the comprehensive consideration of a range of possible outcomes and risk management requirements. Again, the case studies introduced on Day 1 will be used to illustrate and elaborate on the material covered this day.