Service wide training for Understanding Trauma and Introduction to Personality Disorder is currently being delivered across West Yorkshire Liaison and Diversion, by Personality Disorder Navigator, Michaella.

This training will improve the service we deliver:

  • Providing training into trauma-informed practice is just one way that practitioners can better support individuals within the Criminal Justice System.
  • By improving knowledge of Personality Disorder our service can help individuals affected get appropriate support and improve outcomes for them.

Understanding Trauma
‘Research into trauma and Adverse Childhood Events (ACEs) indicates that there are higher levels of ACEs amongst CJS (Criminal Justice System) population than the general public, and that there’s a link between ACEs and offending (Ford et al., 2019). Traumatic childhood events can lead to negative long-term effects on physical and mental wellbeing, and research indicates trauma can increase likelihood of offending (Stensrud, Gilbride, & Bruinekool, 2019).

Introduction to Personality Disorder
Personality Disorder is a complicated psychological and social issue which is estimated to affect 50% of offenders managed by probation services and 60-70% of prisoners, compared to the estimated four to eleven percent of the general population in the UK (Centre for mental health, 2015). Gender differences can occur in that Anti-Social Personality Disorder (ASPD) is more prevalent in males within the CJS. Personality Disorders, mainly Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD), affects about 54% of women within the CJS (Ministry of Justice, 2018).

Training feedback: 
“An insightful day into the challenges those with complex trauma/personality disorders go through & how we, as professionals working with these individuals, can adapt how we work and provide the best possible support. I am yet again grateful for training provided by West Yorkshire Liaison and Diversion.” (Youth Practitioner, Chelsie)

References

Centre For Mental Health. (2015, October 3). Personality disorder and complex needs, Bradley Commission Briefing. Centre For Mental health. https://www.centreformentalhealth.org.uk/publications/personality-disorder-and-complex-needs

Ford, K., Barton, E. R., Newbury, A., Hughes, K., Bezeczky, Z., Roderick, J., & Bellis, M. A. (2019). The prisoner ACE survey. University of Bangor.

Ministry of Justice (2018). Women and the criminal justice system 2017. National Statistics. https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/women-and-the-criminal-justice-system-2017

Stensrud, R. H., Gilbride, D. D., & Bruinekool, R. M. (2019). The childhood to prison pipeline: Early childhood trauma as reported by a prison population. Rehabilitation Counseling Bulletin, 62(4), 195-208.’