Medicolegal Work
The medicolegal work covers Criminal and Civil Cases. We are instructed in criminal cases regarding Psychiatric Assessments, and to provide an opinion on specific issues before the Court. Our work in civil cases includes both Public and Private Law, generally in cases under the umbrella of legislation enshrined in the Children Act 1989, and the European Convention on Human Rights, taking joint instructions as appropriate.
We write independent, expert Psychiatric Reports in the best interests of the Child(ren), using our extensive clinical experience and systemic training to overview complex issues around child placement, legal and other child mental health issues. Cases usually involve consideration of a range of issues for the children and family members, alongside the involvement, roles and opinions of other agencies, notably Health, Education, Social Services and Guardians-for-Children. Reports are based on appropriate clinical interviews and other information, such as Bundles of Documents, and previous Health or other Expert Reports, made available to us. Following the recommendations of the Wolff Report, we aim in Civil cases to accept Joint Instructions, and in any case take an independent overview.
Dr Malcolm Bourne, Consultant Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist has some twenty-two years experience working in child psychiatry, including seventeen years as a full time consultant, currently based in the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service in Blackburn-with-Darwen. He has been working in the medicolegal arena for fourteen years, with expertise in the Children Act and areas of Family Law, including Child Care and Placement and the general provision of Psychiatric Reports for the Court.
Maria Farrar, Specialist Mental Health Practitioner, has over 25 years' experience in child mental health and with children with learning difficulties, currently working in CAMHS/LD in Preston. She has additional qualifications in Child Care Education, and Family Therapy. She has been working in tandem with Dr Bourne over the past six years.
Dr Raymond Roth, Clinical Specialist Practitioner, also has over twenty years experience in child and adolescent mental health, with additional qualifications in Clinical Psychology, Family Therapy and Group Therapy. He has been working with Dr Bourne over the past fifteen years.
Our multidisciplinary ethos allows us to take a flexible approach tailored to the best interests of the children and families involved, in a fashion unique to the medicolegal field, including the ability to respond, for instance, to children who need to speak to a therapist of a particular gender. We also have special experience and expertise in overviewing the interactions between professional agencies, and between those agencies and families.