Our core assessment services include:

• Sexual offending risk assessment
• Internet-based sexual offending, Child Exploitation Material
• Violence risk assessment
• Pre-sentence & mitigation assessments
• Assessment & treatment with special populations, including intellectual disability, personality disorder, psychopathy
• Sexual deviancy and paraphilia assessment
• Forensic family assessments, including risk of harm & capacity to protect
• Domestic violence
• Stalking
• Fire-setting
• Consultancy to tribunals and inquiries

An accurate and competent assessment is the key to informed decision making.

FCPC consultants have expertise and skills in the use of specialised and empirically supported tools relevant to forensic issues and concerns. The exact process of an assessment will vary according to the instructions given by the legal representative and the specific concerns or issues being evaluated.

Typically, a standard psychological examination involves a comprehensive interview and the use of psychometric instruments that evaluate various aspects of an individual’s functioning, including personality and mental health. Occasionally a more comprehensive neuropsychological evaluation may be necessary if brain functioning is raised as a concern.

The information gained through the assessment process is typically utilised to develop a formulation of the presenting concerns and provides an opportunity to answer specific questions and concerns.

As expert witnesses we are thorough, reliable and knowledgeable about our expert areas. We have over 15 years’ experience given evidence in a range of legal context including the Supreme, Family and Children’s Courts. We are deeply committed to our brand promise to ‘Raise the Bar’ through our service delivery.

Medico-legal Assessments

• Medico-legal:  Pre-sentence mitigation 
• Medico-legal:  Risk of recidivism (general crime, sexual & violent crime) 
• Medico-legal:  Criminal compensation 

Medico-legal assessments provide an independent opinion regarding claims and disputes for personal and psychological injury in relation to civil and criminal law matters. For example, this could include the areas of public liability compensation, victim’s compensation (victim of crime), worker’s compensation (emotional suffering as a result of workplace bullying), accident and personal injury (a motor vehicle accident or workplace accident/incident), medical negligence, and trauma.

Medico-legal reports require a comprehensive assessment process which involves a face-to-face clinical interview and psychometric evaluation. The report generally provides an opinion as to the nature and impact of the injury or condition, determination of any relevant DSM-V diagnosis, and recommendations for the treatment and management of the injury or condition.

Sexual/Violent Offender Assessments

• Violence:  Sexual offending (including internet) 
• Violence:  Institutional (prison / hospital) 
• Violence:  General 
• Violence:  Intimate partner / family 
• Violence:  Stalking 

The Forensic Psychology Centre undertakes risk assessments of individuals who have been charged or convicted, or who have allegedly engaged in inappropriate sexual behaviours and/or violent behaviour. These assessments are conducted using formal and empirically validated risk assessment tools to determine an individual’s risk of offending by evaluating static and dynamic risk factors related to sexual/violent offending. Risk assessment reports provide treatment and management recommendations for individuals in both community and custodial settings.

Our typical sex offender reports will include and/or comment on the following aspects related to the individual client or offender:

1. Comprehensive psychosocial history
2. Sexual arousal patterns and interests
3. Sexual deviancy
4. Personality characteristics, including personality disorder and psychopathy
5. Cognitive functioning, including intellectual and memory functioning
6. Illicit substance and alcohol use
7. Mental health functioning
8. Unique factors related to the offending behaviours
9. Risk of future sexual violence and/or general violence (if appropriate)
10. Formulation of offending behaviours
11. Treatment recommendations (if appropriate)
12. Disposal recommendations (if appropriate)
13. Supervision and management recommendations (if appropriate)

Forensic Family Assessments

• Child Safety:  Capacity to protect (sexual harm / violence / neglect) 
• Child Safety:  Parenting 

Forensic family assessments include an evaluation of the non-abusing parent’s capacity to act protectively towards their child and keep them safe from harm in circumstances of physical and sexual abuse.

This type of assessment incorporates a thorough clinical interview and psychometric testing to assess the parent’s views, attitudes, and response to abusive behaviours, as well as their ability to develop and/or build skills to act protectively within the home. This includes assessment across the associated factors of: cognitive functioning/learning disability, personality disorder and psychopathy, mental health problems and substance misuse.

Presentence and Mitigation Reports

• Psychological functioning:  Mental health 
• Psychological functioning:  Personality 

A presentence report is an impartial psychological evaluation that is used to assist the courts to make informed sentencing decisions. Presentence assessments are conducted following an individual’s conviction but prior to sentencing and are often requested to examine the mitigating factors related to the individual’s offending behaviour.

These assessments include a psychological evaluation of the individual through clinical interview and psychometric testing, an investigation of the context/circumstances of their offending behaviour and their risk of reoffending, as well as consideration of their suitability for different types of sentencing. These reports also offer practical recommendations for the ongoing management, treatment, and rehabilitation of offenders with the aim of contributing to a reduction in recidivism.