St Martins is one of a few not-for-profit organisations that offer community forensic services operating in London. Working closely with the North London Forensic Service, our specialist teams assist mentally disordered offenders in a supported environment to gain the necessary skills to live in the community.
We offer support in registered residential care homes, a forensic residential unit funded by the 'Supporting People' initiative and through providing floating support to clients in their own homes. We have places for a total of 54 people in our units and accept referrals throughout the UK.
We work with people who have a mental illness, who usually have a history of involvement with the criminal justice system. Most of our residents will have been detained in hospital under the Mental Health Act 1983 and some are subject to home office restriction orders.
We undertake a risk assessment jointly with referring clinical and social care teams. We require prospective clients to understand their mental health needs and their forensic histories, so that they are able to engage with the network of support we provide. We welcome people with a history of drug and alcohol misuse who are able to accept our policy of not abusing substances whilst in our care.
St Martins provide a high staff-to-client ratio and waking night staff at all our Forensic accommodation units. Each client has a personal care plan and a key worker who helps clients achieve their identified goals. We work in close partnership with care managers and colleagues from multi-disciplinary community and hospital teams. Residents are encouraged to become involved in community activities and live as ordinary a life as possible.
In order to prepare residents for independent life in the community, staff offer support to develop skills for self-sufficiency, in addition to liasing with other agencies and establishments that can offer extra assistance to clients to move towards greater life autonomy.
Skills training include:
- Finance and budgeting
- Cooking and housekeeping skills
- Social skills, specifically how to form appropriate relationships
- Access to employment and education
When residents are allocated, or find for themselves, independent accommodation, we provide outreach support to help them settle into their new home.