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Social circumstances reports

 

AR-08-09-table-35

Download table as a PDF

 

Our interest in these figures

A Social Circumstances Report (SCR) is a formal report that draws together, into a single document,  information about a person's mental disorder and how this interacts with their social circumstances. They are produced by a person's Mental Health Officer (MHO) when he or she is being considered for, or is subject to, compulsory measures under the Mental Health (Care & Treatment) (Scotland) Act 2003.

By setting out the strengths, personal history, the social supports available to the individual, SCRs are a valuable tool in assisting care teams in the assessment and future care planning of someone receiving compulsory care and treatment.   We also find SCRs very useful to us, as they help us to ensure that the treatment being proposed or provided is in line with the principles of the 2003 Act.

The process of compiling a report gives the MHO the opportunity to apply their specialist social work skills and knowledge to help the individual to gain greater control over the management of their illness. As such, they fit in very well with the recovery approach to care and treatment.

What we found

We have commented in past monitoring reports on the difficulty MHOs are having in meeting the requirements of the 2003 Act, in respect of SCRs. Our report for 2007-08 showed only 29% of relevant events resulted in an SCR being provided. Notification of the reasons why the MHO felt that doing so would serve 'little, or no, practical purpose' was given in only 14% of the remaining relevant events.

In the past year the number of relevant events requiring an SCR increased by 3%, however, the percentage of SCRs completed following relevant events remained the same. This means that 4% more SCRs were completed and that more short-term detention certificates (STDCs)  triggered SCRs.

Forty three per cent of STDCs resulted in SCRs in 2008-09, up from 39% last year.  The total number of SCRs following STDCs increased considerably from 1255 to 1389, an increase of 11%. This is good news as good SCRs include both the MHO's assessment and information on the individual's social circumstances which can help inform multidisciplinary planning. This is crucial at a time when a decision has to be made about whether to continue with a detention under the 2003 Act.  Provision of SCRs following a compulsory treatment order, however, fell marginally from 11% to 9%.

The table above sets out provision of SCRs following STDCs and CTOs in selected local authorities. (It should be noted that there are discrepancies in some authorities where the local authority of the MHO who completed the SCR differs from that of the MHO who consented to the order).

It is evident that many authorities had a substantial increase in the percentage of STDCs which attracted SCRs. This was true in Moray (+133%), Argyll and Bute (+ 110%), Clackmannanshire (+90%), Dundee City (+57%), Perth and Kinross (+ 45%), Midlothian (+37%), and Aberdeenshire (+ 35%). There were, however, some authorities where there was a significant decrease in SCR provision following STDCs with Stirling Council (- 66%) and West Dunbartonshire Council (- 45%) showing the largest reductions.

Fife Council and South Lanarkshire MHO services appear to be among the most responsive to the statutory duty to provide an SCR following a STDC. Highland Council has the lowest rate of SCR provision.

Last year we reported that we were liaising with local authority MHO colleagues to draft further guidance on when we believe an SCR should be provided. This exercise was completed with the publication of  Social Circumstances Reports - good practice guidance for MHOs and MHO managers. The report includes a number of recommendations for MHO service managers and MHOs which we hope will improve practice in this important area of local authority activity.