Dr Forster prides himself on his responsivity to solicitors and referrers so please do use the form, email or phone number found on the contacts page if you have any queries or issues you wish to discuss. Estimates for fees are prioritised to allow referrers to apply for funding and progress their case. In all matters, clear communication is maintained, including the setting of timescales.
In line with best practice, Dr Forster has all the relevant vetting checks, indemnity insurance and is registered with both the British Psychological Social and the Health and Care Professions Council. An up-to-date expert witness CV will be provided to all referrers to allow full scrutiny at the point of instruction. Detailed in this is Dr Forster’s work experience and his continued professional training and expertise.
Detailed below are just some of the common contexts in which Dr Forster works and some of the
assessments regularly employed. Please do note that this is not an exhaustive list and Dr Forster will be happy to explore with you any requests outside of these. Regardless of the instruction, evidence-based assessments and judgements will be used and always within the limits of professional competence.
All reports submitted by Dr Forster will be peer reviewed by a senior Forensic Psychologist with over 15 years experience in psychological practice within Criminal and Fam5 ily Law contexts. This ensures that all reports produced adhere to the highest quality standards.
Independent Prison Psychology Reports
Expert psychological prison reports are often required at points of transition or disagreement in the management of cases. This can include parole hearings, recategorisation reviews or review of existing or remaining intervention. Dr Forster is knowledgeable of all aspects of psychological intervention in prison, including Psychologically Informed Planned Environments, Therapeutic Communities and Offending Behaviour Programmes, thereby ensuring that all options are considered when producing recommendations.
Dr Forster has clinical and forensic expertise in the assessment of a wide range of specific difficulties or presentations. In addition to the assessment of risk, Dr Forster is able to provide assessments of Personality Disorder, Psychopathy and Mental Health difficulties. Furthermore, he is qualified to assess for cognitive functioning, learning disability and specialist neuropsychological difficulties. Integration and synthesis of multiple assessments into one coherent case conceptualisation is a particular strength of Dr Forster’s work.
In addition to the above, independent reports are helpful in cases where there are numerous historical or presenting issues. In particular, issues of severe mental health difficulties, personality disorder or neurodevelopmental disorders (such as learning disability, autism or ADHD) can make it difficult to ascertain the appropriate location or intervention for an individual. Dr Forster has experience across NHS and Criminal Justice Settings so is well informed in providing expert opinion on cases where there are many factors to be considered.
Dr Forster primarily works across the Midlands providing reports at a number of prisons. He mainly works with LAA funding but will also work for privately funded cases when instructed by legal representatives.
Criminal Court Reports
It is crucial for accurate and appropriate disposal for courts to understand what is underpinning offending behaviour, presentation and risk, In order to fully inform the court process, Dr Forster is able to undertake assessments across all periods of the court process and in numerous informative areas.
This includes cognitive assessment, either for adaption to the court process or the impact upon intellectual functioning on risk, culpability or intervention. It is well accepted that mental health, personality and trauma history can have significant impact upon offending behaviour and ability to manage in custodial settings. Dr Forster is not only able to assess the presence and impact of these difficulties but also produce clear and easily understood advice to court professionals. Risk summaries and formulation, as well as guides to intervention and working with individuals, are often included and add significant value to all involved in a case.
Beyond these areas, Dr Forster is able to provide second opinion assessments on a range of issues, including capacity to consent, learning disability and malingering. Risk assessment at the pre-sentencing stage is also available to help in the preparation of suitable and tailored recommendations. If any of these areas are of use or wish to discuss a case further, please do use the details available on the contact page.
Mental Health Assessments
In addition to the expertise and services available above, Dr Forster is able to provide bespoke assessments of mental health for a variety of settings, including mental health tribunals. As well as assessment of risk associated with mental health difficulties, comprehensive assessment and expert opinion on issues surrounding Personality Disorder are available. Instructions are accepted from solicitors working on behalf of patients and organisations who are caring for the patient.
Examples of Available Assessments
Whatever the instruction, Dr Forster will employ the most up-to-date and empirically supported assessment measures so you can be reassured that opinions are supported by evidence. These assessments range from risk of offending (including sexual and intimate partner offending) and
personality disorder to cognitive functioning. In addition to the standardised assessments, Dr Forster will incorporate any relevant case specific factors to produce individualised and comprehensive reports.
Listed below are Dr Forster’s areas of expertise and the associated assessments commonly employed (if applicable):
Risk of violence – HCR-20v3
Risk of sexual violence – RSVP
Risk of intimate partner violence – SARAv3
Protective factors for violence – SAPROF
Assessment of Psychopathy – PCL-R
Personality Disorder – IDPE or MCMI-IV
Impact of Autism on risk – FARAS
General cognitive functioning – WAIS-IV
General memory functioning – WMS-IV
Executive functioning – BADS or D-KEFS
Malingering or deception – TOMM or Paulhus Deception Scale
Trauma assessment – ACE-IQ, CAPS or THQ
Parental stress and coping – PSI
Mental illness (including psychotic disorders) – SCID-5 or PANSS
Alcohol or drug problems – AUDIT or DAST
Capacity assessments (including capacity to consent and capacity to litigate)