Female service user’s experiences of collaborative HCR-20V3 risk assessment on a low and medium secure ward

Swift, Joe; Walker, Tammi; Moon, Lauren

Abstract

Best practice guidelines within violence risk assessment have advised collaboration with service users, with potential benefits including increased insight, shorter stays in hospital, and increased transparency. Previous research has explored the experiences of males, although to date there is no published research exploring the experiences of women. This article explores the experiences and perspectives of adult female service user’s engagement with collaborative HCR-20V3 violence risk assessment in a low and medium secure mental health service. Following the introduction of collaborative HCR-20V3 risk assessment within the female service, six service users were recruited from a low or medium secure mental health ward and they undertook a semi-structured qualitative interview. Thematic Analysis identified five superordinate themes: (i) Improved understanding of use of HCR-20V3 and value of collaboration, (ii) Improved understanding of own violence risk, (iii) Development of goals for the future, (iv) Uncomfortable emotions and re-traumatisation”, (v) Improvements to the collaborative process. Clinical implications and future research directions are discussed.

Citation

Swift, J., Walker, T., & Moon, L. (online). Female service user’s experiences of collaborative HCR-20V3 risk assessment on a low and medium secure ward. The Journal of Forensic Psychiatry & Psychology, https://doi.org/10.1080/14789949.2025.2469698

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Feb 16, 2025
• Online Publication Date: Feb 25, 2025
• Deposit Date: Feb 18, 2025
• Publicly Available Date: Feb 26, 2025
• Journal: The Journal of Forensic Psychiatry & Psychology
• Print ISSN: 1478-9949
• Electronic ISSN: 1478-9957
• Publisher: Taylor and Francis Group
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/14789949.2025.2469698
• Public URL: https://durham-repository.worktribe.com/output/3489510