Stepping stones to recovery and safety: a survey of Forensic Recovery Colleges in the UK

Purpose The recovery approach in mental health aims to empower service users to develop personally meaningful lives. Recovery Colleges (RCs) take an educational approach to recovery and support service users to acquire the skills to achieve their goals. Appreciation of lived experience is key, and the ethos of RC is the co-production and co-delivery of courses between peers and staff. Several benefits have been reported for service users following RC involvement. However, the application of the approach to forensic settings is complicated by the dual vulnerabilities of service users’ mental health and offending needs. Despite the UK being an international leader in RC implementation, the evidence base for Forensic Recovery College (FRC) is limited. In response, this study aims to clarify current operational structures in FRCs across the UK. Design/methodology/approach Lead clinicians of 12 FRCs across the UK completed the national survey. Univariate frequency distributions are reported. Findings A specialist FRC was operating in 83% (N = 10) of responding mental health services. The majority of services have peer trainer involvement, and all endorsed the use of co-production and co-delivery. All agreed that through sharing lived experience, peer involvement in FRC positively influences recovery journeys. Practical implications The integration of RC into forensic services is widespread and valuably contributes to forensic recovery. Originality/value To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this scoping study collated evidence for the first time from a national FRC sample. The findings provide a base for further research into how FRC engagement can be a stepping stone to recovery in secure care.