Slides and recordings are for delegates only
‘Trauma to a child of being in the Secure Care System; How can we improve processes’ is a webinar is organised by ACAMH’s Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) Special Interest Group. It is led by Dr. Heidi Hales a dual trained in child and adolescent psychiatry and forensic psychiatry.
About the session
In this talk I will consider the structure of the secure system set up to contain and care for children in young people in the United Kingdom, who are complex situations and show risk behaviours that are considered to need containment. Using data collected in our 2016 scoping of secure services in England and that collated by our GIRAF (Group of International Researchers in Adolescent Forensics) research group, I will discuss how services vary across the UK and with other jurisdictions around the world. Having described the structure of our secure system, I will highlight the needs of children and young people who are detained. With this in mind, I will consider whether our services are able to provide care for children and young people and identify areas where we may be causing iatrogenic harm to them. I will note how we may be able to support legal and policy processes to be more pedagogical. Finally, I will present findings from a vignette study investigating factors which influence our recommendations about whether a child needs secure care and invite the audience to reflect on the ethical processes that may underpin some of the difficult discussions between professionals.
Learning outcomes
- To understand the structure of secure service for children and young people in the UK
- To consider the needs of children and young people who are locked up
- To reflect upon the legal and decision making processes around locking up children and young people
- To reflect upon the trauma that detention can cause
About the speaker
Dr. Heidi Hales is dual trained in child and adolescent psychiatry and forensic psychiatry. Having worked as a consultant psychiatrist in adult and adolescent prisons, secure wards and community forensic adult and adolescent teams in NorthWest London, Heidi is now working on the General Adolescent Unit in North Wales. Her PhD investigated the effects on young people of contact with suicide-related behaviour in YOIs. In 2016 she and colleagues, funded by NHSE, completed a census of all young people from England in secure care. Her research seeks to evaluate and improve care for young people in complex situations, showing high risk behaviours.