Writing Psychological Risk Assessment Reports

1
Writing Psychological Risk Assessment Reports
2
Aims and Objectives

• Aim
• To develop psychologists skills for clearly,
  accurately and fairly communicating their
  conclusions and recommendations based on a
  psychological risk assessment
• Objectives
• To review key psychological principles and
  practical considerations informing preparation of
  reports
• To describe key contents and structures for
  reports
• To provide practice drafting a report based on
  case study materials

3
Stages of Report Writing

• Planning
• Drafting and redrafting sometimes useful before
  final interview
• Disclosure and redrafting
• Submission deadlines, link to KPT, fairness in
  process

4
Planning

• Clear about purpose
• Knowledge of research on risk assessment and
  relevant factors in case e.g. sexual
  offending/violent offending
• Familiarity with accepted format
• Thorough file review check official account,
  seek maximum info for corroboration
• Liaise with Multi-Disciplinary Team

5
Drafting and Redrafting

• Rough draft initial structure with bullet
  points
• Identifying gaps and addressing through follow-up
  interview
• Discussing first draft in supervision and
  responding to feedback from supervisor
• Disclosure of report and responding to any
  concerns raised by individual (if appropriate)

6
Structure and Content of Reports

• Depends on purpose of report
• Usually to inform overall risk assessment and
  management process

7
Knowledge of the Prisoner

• Report writers credentials
• Previous and current offences
• stage of sentence
• purpose of report
• Amount of contact with individual
• Documents read
• Psychometrics used
• Consent
• Presentation in interview

8
Attitude to the offence(s)

• Individuals account of offence
• Antecedents and patterns of behaviour
• Discrepancies with official accounts
• Level of personal responsibility
• Extent of remorse/regret

9
Insight into Identified Risk Factors

• Content
• Risk factors
• Level of insight
• Concrete evidence e.g. behaviour
• Impact of work on level of risk
• Identify protective factors
• Identify further work/progress needed

• Issues
• Factors identified by whom?
• Consider strength/credibility of evidence
• Protective factors can inform risk
  management/release plan

10
Behaviour in Prison/on licence

• Content
• Employment//Education
• Individual and groupwork
• Adjudications/MDTs/
• GOAD/IEP/F2052SH forms/warning letters
• Behaviour in hostel
• Relationships with others
• Temporary releases and community work

• Issues
• Link to relevant risk factors
• Check security files, wing history sheets, seek
  reports from community contacts

11
Life Sentence Plan

• Engagement in sentence planning meeting targets
• Group and 1-1 work attendance and summary of
  progress
• Outstanding areas of need or work

12
Reduction in Risk

• Summarise report
• Current level risk
• Acceptability of risk
• Factors that may increase/decrease/
• maintain current level of risk
• Recommendations for further work

13
Presentational and Style

• Consistent style for peoples titles and
  references
• Subheadings, numbered paragraphs and cross
  referencing/Page numbers
• Concise focus on purpose of report
• Fair and reasonable - non-judgemental tone,
  language/evidenced

14
Presentation and Style

• Use of quotes from lifer accurate and fair
  representation
• Consider readership e.g. jargon, ambiguity,
  motivational style
• Avoid assumptions and consider possible
  alternative interpretations balanced view
• Distinguish between fact and opinion

15
Disclosure

• Ensure report is supervised prior to disclosure
• Personal safety
• Ways to avoid nasty surprises
• Actively check understanding (even if cant get
  agreement)
• Be clear about what you are willing to alter if
  provided with additional info
• Confidentiality of report - sharing with
  multi-disciplinary team/security

16
In Summary

• Be concise
• Only include what you can evidence
• Be clear about what is your opinion
• Reference risk assessment tools
• Be prepared to defend your report to the offender
  and others
• Be aware of the weight given to psychologists
  reports