Community Care Community Care Social Work News & Social Care Jobs
Menu
  • Jobs/Careers
    • Jobs
    • Employer Profiles
    • Workforce Insights
    • Podcasts
    • Careers Zone
    ▼
  • Learning
    • Community Care Inform Adults
    • Community Care Inform Children
    ▼
  • Events
    • Masterclasses
    • Webinars
    • Community Care Live
    ▼
  • E-newsletters
  • News
    • Adults
    • Children
    • Social work leaders
    • Workforce
    • Choose Social Work
    • Write for Community Care
    ▼
  • Network
    • The Social Work Community
    ▼
  • Search
  • ID
    Community Care
    • Menu
    • Jobs/Careers
      • Jobs
      • Employer Profiles
      • Workforce Insights
      • Podcasts
      • Careers Zone
    • Learning
      • Community Care Inform Adults
      • Community Care Inform Children
    • Events
      • Masterclasses
      • Webinars
      • Community Care Live
    • E-newsletters
    • News
      • Adults
      • Children
      • Social work leaders
      • Workforce
      • Choose Social Work
      • Write for Community Care
    • Network
      • The Social Work Community
    • Search
      • Register
      • Login
      Jobs Live Inform

      Social work opinion split over police involvement in mental health incidents, poll finds

      Following an evaluation of the right care, right person policy, we asked social workers their opinion on police withdrawing from mental health incidents

      By Anastasia Koutsounia on January 7, 2025 in Adults, Workforce
      Photo by Community Care

      Social work opinion is divided on the police withdrawing from attending mental health incidents, a poll has found.

      This follows approved mental health professionals (AMHP) raising safety concerns over the lack of police involvement since the introduction of the right care, right person (RCRP) policy in 2023.

      Under RCRP, police should only attend mental health callouts to investigate a crime or when there is a real and immediate risk to life or of serious harm.

      The policy was based on an analysis that found 45% of police attendances involved no crime or immediate threat of serious injury.

      Yet, a Community Care poll with 1760 votes revealed a divide in social work opinion on whether the police should be attending most mental health incidents.

      Flourish logoA Flourish chart

      While just 13% agreed with the RCRP policy outright, a further 46% said they supported it in principle, but stressed that health and social care would need to be resourced to deal with the added workload. 

      However, 41% believed police absence would put practitioners at increased risk.

      Overreliance on the police force

      Some social workers took to the comments section of the related article to speak out about social care’s overreliance on the police to “plug the gaps”.

      “Taking police for granted that they will plug the gaps in our services and be an alternative safe space was always going to bite us eventually,” said one practitioner.

      “I had this discussion practically every opportunity I got in the past four years with our AMHP lead but, as ever, it went nowhere.”

      Gill S agreed that police involvement had helped mask social care’s lack of resources.

      However, she warned that while officers should step back “from a responsibility which is beyond their remit”, the pace at which this was happening was worrying. 

      “The impact on services and individuals could be catastrophic.”

      “We as AMHPs, as mental health workers and social workers, need to own our responsibility in our overreliance on the use of police as a default,” added Tahin.

      “There we are telling the public that people with mental illness are no more violent than them but seek police assistance as routine. Why? We too are culpable for why the police have decided to narrow their reasons for responding.”

      Safety concerns

      However, others voiced safety concerns over practitioners attending mental health assessments alone.

      “Police should be involved where necessary as they have more safety equipment where doctors and AMHPs have a pen and a piece of paper,” said one practitioner.

      “They are crucial in some cases in the [presence] of harm to the individual concerned and the other people involved, including family members. I speak from a 40-year career in social care.”

      Sheena, who quit social work after being attacked while completing an assessment alone, stressed the danger of practitioners working at early hours on their own.

      “The attack ended my social work career. They stated that the local authority could not foresee that I would have been attacked. My concern [is] aimed at the lone working policy out of hours and how this places AMHPs at unacceptable risk.”

      Another practitioner, Neil, spoke out about the danger police absence posed to both citizens and AMHPs.

      “After 14 years of disastrous austerity cuts, including over £40 billion from local authorities, and over 3,000 inpatient beds cut, there is no money in the NHS or councils to fund practical support for AMHPs or other mental health staff to do their riskiest work, such as mental health assessments. 

      “The police knew this but withdrew anyway.”

      What are your thoughts on reduced police presence during mental health incidents?

      Celebrate those who’ve inspired you

      Photo by Daniel Laflor/peopleimages.com/ AdobeStock

      We’re expanding our My Brilliant Colleague series to include anyone who has inspired you in your career – whether current or former colleagues, managers, students, lecturers, mentors or prominent past or present sector figures whom you have admired from afar.

      Nominate your colleague or social work inspiration by filling in our nominations form with a letter or a few paragraphs (100-250 words) explaining how and why the person has inspired you.

      If you have any questions, email our community journalist, Anastasia Koutsounia, at anastasia.koutsounia@markallengroup.com

      AMHPs, mental health, Mental Health Act 1983, police, readers' take, right care right person

      More from Community Care

      Related articles:

      policeAMHPs voice safety concerns over police withdrawal from mental health incidents Metropolitan Police flashing blue lights image10% drop in section 136 detention numbers linked to policy limiting police response to mental ill-health Two colleagues analysing data in an officeMental health leads hail project to highlight impact of AMHP work Mental Health. Stress, tension, relationships and work environment concept. Man's hand, holding magnifying glassMounting demand for AMHPs and unmet need masked by fall in number of detentions, say leads
      Child sexual abuse: professionals to be under duty to report
      The Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill explained

      One Response to Social work opinion split over police involvement in mental health incidents, poll finds

      1. Cara Moore January 23, 2025 at 1:24 pm #

        This article is not clear about what is being discussed. You refer to mental health assessments and incidents but are you actually talking about Mental Health Act Assessments as you keep referring to AMHPs and MHA Assessments is what AMHPs do and is very different to a Mental Health Assessment. The police can’t for example, duck out of their legal obligations to assist in the execution of a S135(1) warrant for example but there may be MHA Assessments that require Police support if the person concerned is a risk to others.

        Terminology is important or some people won’t know what you are actually referring to and respond so something vague.

      Job of the week

      Bournemouth Christchurch and Poole Council logo

      Children’s Social Workers – Level 2/3 – Children & Families First

      Employer Profiles

      • Bournemouth beach Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole
      • Hampshire County Council
      • A picture of an Oxford college quad Oxfordshire County Council
      • Two colleagues talking South Gloucestershire Council
      • Wokingham town centre image Wokingham Borough Council

      Workforce Insights

      • Would you move from the city to work in a more rural setting?
      • Webinar: building a practice framework with the influence of practitioner voice
      • Photo: Microgen/ Adobe ‘They don’t have to retell their story’: building long-lasting relationships with children and young people
      • Podcast: returning to social work after becoming a first-time parent
      • How managers are inspiring social workers to progress in their careers
      • Hand putting wooden cube block on blue background with word CAREER and copy space for your text. Business career planning growth to success concept Workforce Insights – showcasing a selection of the sector’s top recruiters

      Featured jobs

      Sign up for our social work emails

      More from Community Care

      • Network

        The networking platform for social workers


        Connect with peers
      • Jobs

        The latest job opportunities within the social work sector

        Search for jobs
      • Events

        The largest free to attend event for the social work sector

        Register now
      • Learn

        The online learning and practice resource for social workers

        Find out more

      Connect with us

      • facebookFacebook
      • XX
      • LinkedInLinkedIn
      • InstagramInstagram

      Topics

      • Adults
      • Children
      • Workforce
      • Social work leadership

      More information

      • About us
      • Contact us
      • Write for Community Care
      • Accessibility
      • Advertise with us
      • Privacy
      • Terms & conditions
      • Cookies
      Mark Allen Group
      © MA Education 2025. St Jude's Church, Dulwich Road, Herne Hill, London SE24 0PB, a company registered in England and Wales no. 04002826. MA Education is part of the Mark Allen Group. All Rights Reserved