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Written question asked by Baroness Smith of Basildon (Labour) on Monday, 21 November 2016, in the House of Lords. It was due for an answer on Monday, 5 December 2016. It was answered by Lord Keen of Elie (Conservative) on Tuesday, 20 December 2016 on behalf of the Ministry of Justice.

Prisoners: Mental Illness

Question

To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the answer by Lord Keen of Elie on 3 November (HL Deb, col 770), which prisons provide mental health training for prison officers to enable them effectively to identify and deal with mental health problems amongst the prison population.

Answer

All Prison Officers receive ‘Introduction to Mental Health’ training within their initial Prison Officer Entry Level Training (POELT). Within this training learners are taught to identify signs and symptoms for the various forms of mental ill-health, how to manage the offender and when it is necessary to seek help from healthcare professionals.

In addition, there is an ‘Enhanced Mental Health’ course which is run locally for Case Managers and Assessment, Care in Custody and Teamwork (ACCT) Assessors. This provides these specialist staff with a more in depth understanding of mental ill-health so that they can better support those identified as at risk.

There are also a number of establishments who have worked with NHS trusts to commission bespoke mental health training for staff.

Secondary information

Type
Written question
Reference
HL3387
Session
2016-17
Related items
Prisons: Self-inflicted Deaths
Thursday, 3 November 2016
Oral answers to questions
House of Lords
Grouped for answer
Yes
Subjects
Mental illness Prisoners Training Prison officers
Link
View this Written question on www.parliament.uk