A very warm welcome to the Custody Nurse 2-Day Course with TLSPH Ltd! We are thrilled that you’ve chosen this opportunity to expand your professional skills in such a vital area of healthcare.
This course is designed to equip you with the specialised knowledge and practical competencies required to thrive in police custody and forensic environments. Over the next two days, you’ll engage with experts, participate in interactive workshops, and explore the complexities of delivering care in high-pressure situations. From health assessments to managing mental health crises and safeguarding vulnerable individuals, this training will prepare you to make a real impact.
At TLSPH Ltd, we are committed to providing a supportive and enriching learning experience. Our dedicated team is here to guide you every step of the way, ensuring that you leave with the confidence and expertise to excel as a Custody Nurse.
We look forward to embarking on this learning journey with you!
Best regards,
The TLSPH Ltd Team
Who Should Take the Custody Nurse 2-Day Course?
The Custody Nurse 2-Day Course is designed for healthcare professionals who are interested in providing medical care in forensic or custodial settings. This specialized course is ideal for:
1. Registered Nurses (RNs)
- Why: RNs looking to specialize in forensic or custodial care will gain the essential skills required to work with individuals in police custody. This course equips nurses with the knowledge to manage physical and mental health needs, perform forensic assessments, and collaborate with law enforcement.
- Benefit: Transitioning into custody nursing opens up a niche career path where healthcare and the legal system intersect, providing a unique opportunity to impact vulnerable individuals in challenging environments.
2. Forensic Nurses
- Why: Forensic nurses, particularly those working with victims of crime or violence, will find this course valuable in expanding their competencies to include custodial care. Forensic nurses can deepen their knowledge of how to manage healthcare for detainees, preserve forensic evidence, and comply with legal and ethical responsibilities.
- Benefit: Enhances their role in handling detainees who may be victims or suspects, while ensuring proper healthcare and safeguarding practices are followed.
3. Custody or Detention Healthcare Professionals
- Why: Healthcare professionals already working in prisons, detention centres, or police custody settings can use this course to further develop their expertise in managing detainee health. It helps enhance their ability to assess fitness for detention, respond to medical emergencies, and handle complex cases such as mental health crises and substance misuse.
- Benefit: Improves their ability to provide holistic care, manage risk effectively, and ensure the health and wellbeing of those in custody.
4. Mental Health Nurses
- Why: Mental health nurses, especially those working in community or forensic mental health services, would benefit from this course as it provides specific training in managing detainees with mental health issues. It also offers practical insights into crisis management and de-escalation strategies in custody settings.
- Benefit: Expands their scope of practice to include assessing and managing individuals with mental health challenges in forensic or custodial environments.
5. Sexual Assault Nurse Examiners (SANE)
- Why: SANE practitioners who wish to expand their expertise beyond sexual assault cases to include broader forensic nursing within custodial settings will find this course beneficial. It complements their existing forensic skills with insights into detainee healthcare and forensic evidence handling in a police custody setting.
- Benefit: Offers them a broader set of tools to handle a wider variety of cases, including working with individuals who may be both victims and suspects in legal investigations.
6. Paramedics and Emergency Care Practitioners
- Why: Paramedics who often respond to police custody calls or work in emergency care settings can use this course to enhance their skills in assessing and managing detainee health. This is particularly relevant for handling acute medical emergencies, mental health crises, and the effects of substance misuse in detainees.
- Benefit: Provides them with the tools to work more effectively in collaboration with law enforcement and healthcare teams in custodial environments.
7. Healthcare Professionals Interested in Forensic Nursing
- Why: Any healthcare professional with an interest in transitioning to forensic nursing or expanding their career into a niche field will benefit from this course. Custody nursing offers a unique opportunity to work at the intersection of healthcare, law enforcement, and legal systems.
- Benefit: Provides foundational training to move into the field of forensic nursing, while opening up potential career opportunities in police custody, prisons, and other legal settings.
Why Take This Course?
- Specialised Expertise: Gain essential skills in managing the unique healthcare needs of detainees, from physical assessments to mental health interventions, substance misuse management, and forensic evidence collection.
- Interdisciplinary Collaboration: Learn how to work effectively alongside law enforcement, legal teams, and forensic professionals in high-pressure, custodial settings.
- Forensic Knowledge: Understand the legal and ethical guidelines governing healthcare in custody, including handling forensic evidence and safeguarding vulnerable individuals.
- Career Advancement: Open new career pathways in custody, forensic, or detention nursing, or enhance your current role in these settings by developing specialized competencies.
- Hands-On Learning: Benefit from practical, scenario-based learning, including workshops, case studies, and role-playing exercises that simulate real-world custodial healthcare challenges.
This course is ideal for those seeking to make a meaningful impact in a challenging, fast-paced, and highly specialized area of nursing.
What Can Students Expect from the Custody Nurse 2-Day Course?
This 2-day intensive course is designed to provide healthcare professionals with a comprehensive understanding of the unique and challenging environment of custodial healthcare. Students can expect:
1. A Fast-Paced, Intensive Learning Experience
- This course is intense and fast-moving, covering a wide range of topics in a short period. Each day is packed with critical content, including legal, ethical, medical, and forensic responsibilities. You’ll need to stay focused, engage actively, and be ready for back-to-back learning sessions.
2. In-Depth Understanding of Custodial Healthcare
- Expect to gain detailed knowledge of the healthcare needs of detainees in police custody, including:
- Comprehensive detainee assessments (both physical and mental health).
- Risk management in high-stress environments.
- Addressing medical emergencies, substance misuse, and withdrawal symptoms.
3. Hands-On Practical Learning
- The course includes practical workshops and scenario-based training to help you apply what you’ve learned. You’ll work through:
- Role-playing exercises simulating real-world detainee healthcare scenarios.
- Handling forensic evidence collection, maintaining the chain of custody, and performing forensic assessments.
4. Real-World Expertise from External Speakers
- You’ll benefit from guest lectures by legal experts, forensic medical examiners, mental health professionals, and safeguarding officers who will share their real-world experiences and insights from working in custodial and forensic settings.
5. Specialized Forensic and Mental Health Training
- You’ll dive deep into the forensic aspects of custody nursing, including how to document injuries, handle evidence, and manage detainees with mental health issues or those undergoing substance withdrawal. Expect specialized content on:
- Legal and ethical considerations.
- Safeguarding and caring for vulnerable individuals.
- Trauma-informed care, especially when handling cases involving sexual assault (SANE guidelines).
6. Collaboration with Law Enforcement
- This course provides you with the skills to work closely with police and legal teams. You’ll learn how to ensure the health and safety of detainees while adhering to legal frameworks and balancing your medical responsibilities with forensic and custodial duties.
7. High Expectations of Student Engagement
- As this is an intensive course, expect to be highly engaged throughout. There will be opportunities to ask questions, participate in interactive case studies, and collaborate with peers to tackle complex scenarios.
8. A Career-Boosting Credential
- Completing this course will enhance your professional credentials, positioning you for a specialized career in custody nursing, forensic healthcare, or detention healthcare settings.
Be Prepared for an Intensive and Rewarding Experience
This course is designed to challenge you with intense, focused training that will fully equip you for the fast-paced, high-pressure environment of custodial healthcare. By the end of the course, you’ll have the knowledge and practical skills to confidently step into this specialized field, making a meaningful impact on the health and wellbeing of individuals in custody.
Prepare for two days of in-depth, fast-paced, and rewarding learning!
Course Objective
The Custody Nurse 2-Day Course aims to equip registered nurses with the specialized knowledge, skills, and competencies required to deliver high-quality healthcare services within police custody or forensic settings. By the end of the course, participants will be able to conduct comprehensive health assessments, manage medical emergencies, and ensure the wellbeing of individuals in custody, while adhering to legal, ethical, and forensic guidelines. The course also emphasizes collaboration with law enforcement, managing mental health crises, and safeguarding vulnerable individuals.
Course Module guide
The Custody Nurse 2-Day Course provides an intensive introduction to the role of nurses in police custody and forensic environments. Over two days, participants will explore the legal and ethical responsibilities of custody nurses, as well as key healthcare competencies such as risk management, detainee health assessments, and mental health crisis intervention. The course combines theoretical learning with practical, scenario-based workshops to ensure that participants can apply their knowledge in real-world custody situations.
Day 1 focuses on understanding the legal framework, ethical considerations, and core responsibilities of a custody nurse. Participants will also be introduced to techniques for assessing physical health, managing acute medical emergencies, and identifying individuals’ fitness for detention or interview.
Day 2 delves into advanced topics such as mental health assessments, substance misuse management, and forensic evidence collection. Participants will gain hands-on experience through interactive case studies and role-playing exercises, enabling them to practice managing complex cases in custody environments.
By the end of the course, participants will be well-prepared to deliver patient-cantered care within the unique and challenging context of forensic and custody nursing.
Is the course aligned with SANE (Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner) UK guidelines?
The Custody Nurse 2-Day Course aligns with aspects of SANE (Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner) guidelines, particularly in areas related to forensic nursing and the handling of vulnerable individuals, but it may not fully encompass the specific training requirements for SANE certification in the UK. Here’s how it aligns and where it might differ:
Areas of Alignment:
- Forensic Awareness and Evidence Collection:
- Custody nurses often handle forensic evidence, such as injury documentation, forensic samples, and maintaining the chain of custody, which are core skills in SANE practice.
- The course includes training on physical evidence collection and proper documentation, which is crucial in forensic contexts like sexual assault cases.
- Care of Vulnerable Individuals:
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- Like SANE practitioners, custody nurses work with vulnerable populations (e.g., those with mental health issues, substance misuse, or trauma), and the course covers safeguarding and mental health interventions.
- Ethical and Legal Considerations:
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- Both SANE nurses and custody nurses must adhere to strict legal and ethical guidelines, including consent, confidentiality, and the rights of individuals in their care. This course covers the legal framework and ethical issues, ensuring practitioners are aware of their obligations.
- Interdisciplinary Collaboration:
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- Custody nurses collaborate with law enforcement, just as SANE nurses work closely with police and legal professionals, ensuring that care and forensic processes align with criminal investigations.
Areas That May Differ:
- Specialization in Sexual Assault Cases:
- While the course touches on forensic nursing and may cover sexual assault examinations in a basic sense, SANE training in the UK is far more specialized, focusing specifically on the care of sexual assault victims. SANE certification includes in-depth training on sexual assault examinations, trauma-informed care, and advanced forensic evidence collection specific to sexual violence.
- SANE-Specific Procedures:
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- SANE programs focus on the medical, psychological, and forensic aspects of sexual assault. Custody nurse training covers broader aspects of healthcare for detainees but may not delve deeply into the specific procedures required for sexual assault cases (e.g., detailed sexual assault forensic exams, victim-cantered communication techniques).
Conclusion:
This Custody Nurse course can support skills related to forensic evidence handling and managing vulnerable populations, which align with general SANE guidelines. However, it is not a substitute for dedicated SANE certification. For those specifically interested in working with sexual assault victims, further specialized SANE training would be necessary.
If aligning closely with SANE standards is a key priority, you might want to ensure that additional modules or qualifications are available, particularly in sexual assault nursing.
Strategic Benefits of External Speakers:
- Real-World Relevance: External speakers bring practical, field-based insights that enhance theoretical content, making the course more applicable and engaging.
- Diverse Expertise: By covering areas such as legal frameworks, mental health, substance misuse, and forensic care, the course offers well-rounded learning that covers multiple facets of custody nursing.
- Interactive Learning: Speakers can engage with students through Q&A sessions, case studies, and workshops, promoting interactive and hands-on learning.
This approach not only elevates the course content but also gives students the opportunity to learn from industry professionals and apply their knowledge in real-world situations.
Day 1: Introduction and Legal Frameworks
Morning Session:
9:00 AM – 9:30 AM: Registration and Introduction
- Module guide of course objectives.
- Introduction to the role of a Custody Nurse.
9:30 AM – 11:00 AM: Module 1 – Legal and Ethical Frameworks
- Module guide of legislation impacting custody settings (e.g., Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984, Mental Health Act).
- Ethical issues and patient rights in custody.
- Consent, confidentiality, and documentation.
- Forensic awareness.
External Speaker: Legal Expert
- Focus: A solicitor or legal advisor can provide an overview of key legislation (e.g., Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984, Mental Health Act), legal rights of detainees, and the legal responsibilities of custody nurses.
- Engagement: Include a brief Q&A session where students can ask about real-world legal challenges.
11:00 AM – 11:15 AM: Coffee Break
11:15 AM – 12:30 PM: Module 2 – Role of the Custody Nurse
- Responsibilities and scope of practice.
- Interdisciplinary collaboration (working with police, legal professionals, and other healthcare providers).
- Decision-making in a high-pressure environment.
Afternoon Session:
12:30 PM – 1:30 PM: Lunch Break
1:30 PM – 3:00 PM: Module 3 – Detainee Healthcare Assessment
- Physical health assessments in custody settings.
- Mental health screening (suicide risk, anxiety, psychosis).
- Substance misuse assessment and withdrawal management.
- Communicating with vulnerable individuals.
External Speaker: Forensic Medical Examiner (FME)
- Focus: A forensic medical examiner can talk about the health assessments conducted in custody, including forensic evidence collection and collaboration with law enforcement.
- Engagement: Provide a case study on assessing fitness for detention and evidence collection, followed by a practical exercise.
3:00 PM – 3:15 PM: Coffee Break
3:15 PM – 4:30 PM: Module 4 – Custody Risk Management
- Instructor-led practical scenarios on risk management in custody.
- Medical risk factors (diabetes, heart conditions, epilepsy).
- Managing acute medical emergencies.
- Identifying fitness to be detained or interviewed.
- Case studies and practical exercises.
Day 2: Specialist Skills and Real-World Scenarios
Morning Session:
9:00 AM – 9:30 AM: Recap of Day 1
9:30 AM – 11:00 AM: Module 5 – Mental Health and Wellbeing
- Advanced mental health assessments in custody.
- Crisis intervention and de-escalation techniques.
- Referral pathways for mental health support.
- Identifying vulnerable individuals and safeguarding concerns.
External Speaker: Mental Health Professional (Psychiatrist/Psychologist)
- Focus: A forensic psychiatrist or psychologist can cover mental health assessments in custody, managing crises, and dealing with high-risk detainees (e.g., suicidal or psychotic individuals).
- Engagement: Provide techniques for mental health screening and crisis intervention, followed by a case discussion/Q&A.
11:00 AM – 11:15 AM: Coffee Break
11:15 AM – 12:30 PM: Module 6 – Substance Misuse and Overdose Management
- Managing withdrawal symptoms (alcohol, drugs).
- Safe detoxification in custody.
- Naloxone administration and overdose protocols.
- Referrals to drug and alcohol services.
External Speaker: Substance Misuse Specialist
- Focus: An addiction specialist can discuss handling withdrawal symptoms and managing substance misuse in custody. They can cover protocols for overdose management, detox, and referrals.
- Engagement: Demonstrate real-world examples of managing drug/alcohol withdrawal, followed by a group activity to develop care plans.
Afternoon Session:
12:30 PM – 1:30 PM: Lunch Break
1:30 PM – 3:00 PM: Module 7 – Physical Evidence Collection and Documentation
- Forensic nursing principles (chain of custody, evidence preservation).
- Injury documentation and photography.
- Sexual assault examinations (working with forensic examiners, SANE nurses).
- Reporting findings to law enforcement.
3:00 PM – 3:15 PM: Coffee Break
3:15 PM – 4:30 PM: Module 8 – Forensic Examination and Evidence Collection in Sexual Assault Cases ( Scenario Based Practical Workshop)
- Sexual Assault Forensic Examination Protocols:
- Step-by-step approach to conducting a forensic examination on a sexual assault survivor.
- Use of forensic kits (including swabs, nail scrapings, hair samples, etc.).
- Documentation of injuries related to sexual assault and maintaining chain of custody.
- Trauma-Informed Care and Communication:
- Approaches to providing compassionate, trauma-informed care to survivors of sexual violence.
- Handling psychological trauma and emotional distress during and after examinations.
- Importance of building trust and ensuring safety and dignity for survivors.
- Crisis Intervention and Referral Pathways:
- Immediate crisis intervention techniques for sexual assault victims.
- Referrals to sexual assault referral centres (SARCs), psychological services, and support groups.
- Ongoing follow-up care, including STI testing, emergency contraception, and mental health support.
External Speaker: Former Custody Nurse or SANE Practitioner
- Focus: A former custody nurse or SANE practitioner can share real-life experiences of managing healthcare in custody, including sexual assault examinations and trauma-informed care.
- Engagement: Conduct a role-playing workshop where participants act out real-world custody scenarios, followed by feedback and discussion.
4:30 PM – 5:00 PM: Module 9 – Sexual Assault Examination and Forensic Care (SANE Guidelines)
External Speaker: Forensic Medical Examiner (FME) or SANE Practitioner
- Focus: Detailed guidance on conducting sexual assault forensic examinations, preserving evidence, and delivering trauma-informed care.
- Engagement: Lead a workshop where students can simulate forensic evidence collection using standardised kits, followed by a reflection session on patient-centred care in sensitive cases.
Final Review and Assessment
- Course evaluation
- Final assessment (Quiz)
- Certificate presentation.
Key Course Takeaways:
- Legal and ethical frameworks for working in custody settings.
- Competence in physical and mental health assessments for detainees.
- Management of substance misuse and mental health crises.
- Knowledge of forensic evidence handling and documentation.
- Practical experience through case studies and scenario-based workshops.
Key Outcomes of the SANE Module:
- Understand the specific role of a SANE in conducting sexual assault forensic examinations and providing trauma-informed care.
- Be able to perform a comprehensive sexual assault examination, handle forensic evidence, and ensure chain of custody.
- Develop skills in crisis intervention, patient-centred communication, and managing the psychological impact of sexual violence.
- Learn to collaborate effectively with police, legal professionals, and forensic examiners, while respecting survivors’ rights and dignity.