Evolve Psychology Services offers expert witness assessment services in prison law, Children’s Act public and private law proceedings, criminal proceedings, immigration law and personal injury/ medical negligence claims.
We have excellent professional relationships with a number of leading legal practices nationwide and provide high quality assessments and reports.
Cases through Legal Aid Funding are accepted in addition to Privately Funded Cases and we work to current guidelines in terms of timescales and costs.
For all legal enquiries, Dr Powling is available for consultation prior to instruction.
Criminal Law/ Prison Law
Dr Powling and associates of Evolve focus upon the clinical/ psychological presentation of the client, which incorporates all aspects of their functioning, in addition to their risk. As such, we endeavour to ensure that all clients receive a holistic and integrated assessment that identifies all aspects of their needs, so that mental health/ personality/ neuropsychology assessments can be functionally linked to risk issues identified or any needs that the courts need to be aware of. We also consider it important for a client to receive a report that, although highlighting risk issues, is fair, evidence-based and structured. The report should also focus upon protective factors and strengths, in addition to things that the client might need to work upon. Assessments are detailed and fully address each aspect of the instructing statements.
The focus of the assessment may include:
- Risk assessments for violent, sexual, and fire-setting offenders of all levels of risk, both in prison and in the community
- DSPD services
- DSPD assessments
- CSC assessments
- On-going treatment planning
- Fitness to plead
- Fitness to stand trial
- Pre- sentencing assessments
- Pre- trial assessments
- Pre-Tariff Assessments
- Personality Disorder Assessments,
- PCL-R assessments
- Assessments for Learning Disabilities
- Traumatic Brain Injury
- Category A reviews
- Parole board assessments
- Neuropsychology
- Neuro-developmental problems e.g. assessments for Autistic Spectrum Conditions
- Capacity assessments
- Mental Health assessments such as PTSD, depression etc
- Assessments for young offenders.
Family Law
The purpose of assessment – This is a piece of work undertaken to build a comprehensive understanding of the problem and needs of the child, of any parenting difficulties, or of the family system as a whole. It may involve meeting with parents, seeing the child individually, and liaising with any other professionals involved with the child.
Assessment in itself can be beneficial to the understanding of a problem and may be all that is required. Alternatively, it can enable us to work collaboratively with families to formulate an appropriate treatment package.
What issues does the assessment cover? – The focus of the assessment may include:
- A screen for mental health problems, such as (but not exhaustively) anger, self-esteem issues, depression, anxiety, OCD
- Provision of a framework to understand behaviour that may be bewildering or concerning to a parent/carer
- Making sense of behaviour that may have arisen from trauma, abuse or neglect
- A cognitive assessment to establish whether the child has any learning difficulties
- Assessments for Autistic Spectrum Conditions.
Family Court Expert Witness Work
Evolve Psychology also offers assessments of parents and children in the context of Care Proceedings. Dr Powling works clinically in Child and Adolescent Mental Health and Looked After Children’s Services. Areas covered in assessments typically include:
Parents
- Parenting capacity including forensic risk assessments
- Mental health issues
- Adult Attachment
- Impact of histories of abuse (physical, sexual, emotional) on parenting
- Impact of drugs/alcohol/domestic violence on parenting
- Family dynamics
- Ability to protect
- Ability to work with professionals
- Cognitive assessment
- Therapeutic needs and signposting to relevant services
Children
- Attachment
- Impact of trauma, abuse & neglect on development
- Mental health issues
- Sibling assessments
- Cognitive assessment
- Autism Assessments
- Placement planning
- Contact issues and needs
- Therapeutic needs and signposting to relevant services
Immigration Law
Evolve Psychology Services offers assessments in immigration cases. We accept referrals directly from solicitors as well as individuals who may wish to seek a private and independent assessment. We accept both legal aid and privately funded cases. Areas of assessment might include:
- Risk Assessments for individuals charged or convicted of criminal offences
- Neuropsychology
- Neuro-developmental problems e.g. Assessments for Autistic Spectrum Conditions and
- ADHD
- Capacity assessments
- Learning Disability Assessments
- Mental Health assessments such as PTSD, depression etc
- Attachment
- Impact of trauma, abuse & neglect on development and emotional wellbeing
- Mental health issues
- Sibling assessments in the case of proposed separation
- Cognitive assessment
- Autism Assessments
- Placement planning
- Contact issues and needs, including the impact of separation
- Therapeutic needs and signposting to relevant services
Personal Injury and Medical Negligence Referrals
Evolve Psychology Services, can also undertake either neuropsychological assessments or assessments of mental health or trauma following personal injury.
We accept referrals directly from solicitors, intermediary agencies and individuals to provide an assessment of the impact of personal injury and medical negligence on the client. Evolve will provide diagnoses (using ICD-10 and/or DSM-V) and advise on the psychological impact on the individual, prognosis and make recommendations regarding appropriate therapeutic interventions.
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