The New Mental Health Act: A guide to the role of the mental health officer - Information for service users and their carers

5 When will the mental health officer prepare a Social Circumstances Report ( SCR)?

The SCR contains information gathered by the MHO about your past and present circumstances. The MHO must prepare an SCR if you are being given care or treatment under any of the following orders:

• a short-term detention certificate
• an interim CTO
• a CTO
• an assessment order
• a treatment order
• an interim compulsion order
• a compulsion order
• a hospital direction
• a transfer for treatment direction.

The SCR has to be prepared within 21 days of the order being put in place.

The MHO will send a copy of your SCR to the Mental Welfare Commission and your RMO. Your RMO may use the report to help him or her to make a decision about your care and treatment including any support needs of carers.

The Mental Welfare Commission may use the report to help ensure that your care and treatment is delivered in a way that provides you with maximum benefit and respects your rights. If the Commission has concerns about your circumstances it may make further enquiries.

Usually the MHO will give you a copy of the report.

Your MHO does not need to prepare an SCR if he or she thinks it would serve little or no practical purpose. This may be because an SCR was recently completed in relation to another aspect of your care and treatment. The MHO will let the Mental Welfare Commission and your RMO know why they have not prepared an SCR.