The ‘Quick Guide’ Series of Blogs

UPDATE >>> You will now find the series of blogs I am referring to on their own page at the top of the blog.  There is a scroll down menu for the different legal jurisdictions within the UK.

I have had feedback coming through on email and Twitter for a while, that officers are finding the blogs very useful – in terms of providing ‘training’ on mental health which has been badly wanted for years and also in terms of being used as a reference tool at incidents.  In particular, it has validated the hours of time spent writing these materials in the evenings.  Because people have asked(!) I tend to park myself in front of the TV with a favourite film on after my family are in bed and get typing.

Tonight I sat down with the intention of writing several very short, very punchy blogs and I’ve just published six.  The intention is not to tell a story, give a view or waffle on about my view of the world – the intention was to write “DO THIS, THINK ABOUT THIS, BALANCE THESE ISSUES TO REACH A A DECISION” type blogs. I will then be able to arrange the blog and these pages in a way that makes the blog more useable.

So the six blogs I’ve published are each under 300 words, on:

1. s136 and Places of Safety
2. s135 and Assessments on Private Premises
3. AWOLs
4. Conveyance
5. Offenders
6. Red Flags

I also intend to also cover “MH Crisis in Private Premises” and “RAVE risks” as well as doing versions of the first three for Scotland and Northern Ireland – although I’ll probably postpone that for another evening!  I’ll publish a page that has all these links on there, with a link to the blog’s FAQ page which will shortly get updated.

All taken together, it should make the blog more ‘useable’ by frontline cops, who are the primary audience.  It should also mean that officers could link to these pages via a SmartPhone icon and at the touch of a button have materials which are consumable at police jobs, to help with decisions.

Winner of the President’s Medal,
the Royal College of Psychiatrists.

Winner of the Mind Digital Media Award

All opinions expressed are my own – they do not represent the views of any organisation.
(c) Michael Brown, 2012

I try to keep this blog up to date, but inevitably over time, amendments to the law as well as court rulings and other findings from inquests and complaints processes mean it is difficult to ensure all the articles and pages remain current.  Please ensure you check all legal issues in particular and take appropriate professional advice where necessary.

Government legislation website – http://www.legislation.gov.uk