The event, held in the Canada Room and Council Chamber, heard a range of speakers explore priorities and challenges in the field of forensics and mental health in Northern Ireland. The newly convened Research and Quality Improvement Group of the Forensic Mental Health Managed Care Network was also launched on the day.

Speakers and organisers, pictured (left to right) above, included: Dr Michele Templeton, a Queen’s Research Fellow with experience in employing participatory, right-based approaches in working with young offenders; Dr Richard Bunn, Consultant Psychiatrist at the Shannon Clinic, a medium secure unit, providing in-patient services for offenders with mental illness; Noel McDonald, Network Manager for the Forensic Managed Care Network in NI; Dr Helen Walker, Senior Lecturer in mental health, University of the West of Scotland; Cherie Armour, Professor of Psychological Trauma and Mental Health at Queen’s; Dr Karen Galway, Lecturer in Mental Health in the School of Nursing and Midwifery; Professor Gavin Davidson, Praxis Chair of Social Care at Queen’s; and Dr Mark Linden, Senior Lecturer in the School of Nursing and Midwifery.

The Forensic Managed Care Network, (FMCN) Northern Ireland (NI) covers both mental health (MH) and Intellectual developmental disabilities (IDD) services. It is a partnership initiative in collaboration with the Scottish Forensic Network and the Irish National Forensic Mental Health Services, Dublin, Ireland.

The Research and Quality Improvement Group, which will feed into the FMCN, is co-Chaired by Richard Bunn (BHSCT) and Mark Linden (Queen’s University Belfast).