Experience of staff and people on probation in IIRMS
Research type
Research Study
Full title
A multi-perspective analysis of staff and people on probations experience within the Offender Personality Disorder Pathway, Intensive Intervention and Risk Management Service (IIRMS)
IRAS ID
305287
Contact name
Kelly Watkins
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Nottingham Trent University
Clinicaltrials.gov Identifier
n/a, n/a
Duration of Study in the UK
8 years, 0 months, 2 days
Research summary
The Offender Personality Disorder (OPD) Pathway is a jointly commissioned initiative between NHS England and Her Majesty’s Prison & Probation Service (HMPPS). The aim of which is to provide a pathway of psychologically informed services for offenders who are likely to be diagnosed with personality disorder (Skett & Lewis, 2019). The OPD pathway is relationally focused, however this premise alone can be difficult considering that relational difficulties are associated with “personality disorder” (Livesley, 2001).
The research will be a multi-perspective analysis of staff and people on probations experience within the Offender Personality Disorder Pathway, Intensive Intervention and Risk Management Service (IIRMS). The study will seek to contribute to the understanding of how both groups experience the OPD pathway and specifically IIRMS. This will be achieved through semi-interviews with both staff and service users who are currently in an IIRMS service. The topics of the interview will include the challenges and benefits of the OPD pathway, staff training, relationships with service users/staff, interactions with colleagues/peers, working environment, perceived effectiveness of OPD pathway and views towards individuals with mental health difficulties. The multi-perspective approach will enable a rich exploration of similarities and differences in the perceptions and experiences of staff and service users.
It is anticipated that findings from the study could contribute towards establishing recommendations to improve IIRMS, may provide insight for treating other offender groups with personality disorder or problematic personality traits , and direct future research with this client group and within the OPD pathway. The findings may aid in identifying factors that make it possible to develop effective professional relationships between service users and staff. It may also demonstrate the importance of exploring the service users experience.
REC name
London - South East Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
22/LO/0677
Date of REC Opinion
13 Dec 2022
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion