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Special Interest Groups (SIGs) Meetings
2026 Conference
We also invite you to join us at the various Special Interest Group (SIG) Meetings during the 2026 IAFMHS Conference. These SIGs provide dedicated forums for members with shared professional interests and to develop and foster closer connections and collaborations. The SIGs will be meeting during the annual conference to exchange ideas, collaborate on projects, and discuss key developments. Participation is open to all conference attendees, and we strongly encourage you to attend a meeting aligned with your interests.
Emerging Forensic Systems Group
Formerly the African Special Interest Group, this group has been expanded to include all emerging forensic systems to allow mental health practitioners to exchange ideas on how to develop and sustain forensic mental health services in different parts of the world where forensic mental health systems may still be in a nascent stage. Many countries lack secure mental health treatment facilities and where they exist, these services are largely rudimentary. Coupled with this, are the apparent lack of structured training in forensic mental health and the attendant shortage of skilled manpower in the subspecialty. It is the hope of the special interest group that a robust multidisciplinary approach to research, training and service development in the area of forensic mental health will evolve from the various opportunities of interaction that the group will provide.
Chair: Adegboyega Ogunwale
Meeting: Thursday, 18 June, 1:45 PM, Congress Hall
Although the roles and responsibilities vary across countries, Forensic Mental Health Nurses (FMHN) play a key role in assessing, managing and treating mentally disordered offenders. IAFMHS is committed to increasing the involvement and contribution of FMHNs in the organisation in order to learn from their experiences, improve dialogue and collaboration between professionals working in Forensic Services and to promote the valuable work of FMHNs.
SIG meeting in Helsinki will highlight the Forensic Mental Health Nursing Standards of Practice.
Chair: Tella Lantta
Meeting: Tuesday, 16 June, 10:30 AM, Karl Lindahl Room
Long-Term Forensic Psychiatric Care
The aim of this special interest group is to establish a permanent forum where issues and best practices relating to long-term forensic psychiatric care (LFPC) can be discussed and shared. LFPC focuses on patients who do not benefit sufficiently from treatment to be able to return safely to society. The severity and complexity of their problems, the strong public reaction they provoke, the ethical considerations regarding the proportionality between their offences and the length of their detention, as well as the daily challenges faced by professionals in LFPC units, will be central to this forum. All professionals working in a setting where patients are in long-term forensic care are warmly invited to participate!
The SIG’s focus in recent years
In recent years, the SIG has focused primarily on discussing good practices for patients within and the organization of long-term forensic psychiatric care. This has led to a shared desire to begin collecting these good practices in a structured manner. Over the past year, an initial outline for a study on this topic has been drawn up based on literature and practical experience. At the SIG meeting during the conference in Helsinki, the proposal for this study will be discussed, after which the study can be taken forward.
We hope for a good turnout so that we can refine the study together and take it to the next level.
Chair: Sandrine Mikkers & Hilde Wijma
Meeting: Wednesday, 17 June, 1:45 PM, Congress Hall
Mental Health Courts and Diversion Programs
This Special Interest Group brings together professionals from around the world who are committed to improving how individuals with mental disorders are treated in the justice system. Our focus is on two key approaches that have gained significant momentum over the past decades: mental health courts and diversion programs. These innovative models aim to provide more humane, effective, and rehabilitative alternatives to traditional prosecution and incarceration, offering tailored responses to complex needs. The SIG was founded in recognition of the growing interest in specialized judicial processes for mentally disordered individuals and the corresponding rise in research, policy development, and implementation. As mental health courts and diversion programs continue to evolve and expand across jurisdictions – from Canada and the USA to Australia – there is a clear and ongoing need for a dedicated international forum where professionals can share ideas, insights, and best practices. We invite you to join our discussions and contribute to shaping the future of mental health responses within justice systems.
Chair: Krisztina Petra Gula
Meeting: Tuesday, 16 June, 10:30 AM, Juho Rissanen Room
RISC – Team (Risk Information, Support, and Communication – Toward Effective Assessment and Management)
The purpose of the RISC-TEAM special interest group (SIG) is to promote interest, understanding, best practice and support in all aspects of violence risk assessment and management. The RISC-TEAM aims to be a resource for all disciplines involved in such activities: lawyers and administrators, as well as psychologists, psychiatrists, nurses, social workers, and other involved professionals. It aims to be an international resource on violence risk assessment and management.
Specific aims include:
• To provide an international forum for professionals interested in issues related to clinical risk assessment and management, specifically with respect to clinical practice, research and policy/administration. The essence of the group is to offer colleagues an opportunity to exchange opinions on legal, methodological, and clinical matters and to offer advice or support from the perspective of similar organizations.
• To discuss standards for clinical and research practice.
• To ensure the knowledge is kept up-to-date, organized, and available to members.
• To ensure that information about risk assessment and management is conveyed accurately and responsibly via training workshops and the like.
We invite all interested professionals, students and trainees to join the group, which meets annually at the IAFMHS meeting. Hope to see you there!
Chair: Brianne Layden
Meeting: Wednesday, 17 June, 9:45 AM, Congress Hall
Service Delivery and Development
Across the world models of treatment services for mentally ill or personality disordered offenders differ greatly. This special interest group would give an opportunity for those people responsible for running or buying these services to exchange ideas. To date the IAFMHS and many other organisations cater for comparison, study and research of scientific and clinical matters but there appears to be no opportunity for similar study or research into the management of these organisations. This special interest group is a forum for the exchange of experiences and ideas where the participants do not have to represent any formal system but can be open for discussion. In recent years section members have shared ideas and collaborated on subjects such as quality standards, risk management, treatment programs and outcomes, service specifications and much, much more! We believe that the opportunity to study, compare and benchmark services will enable us to run our services more effectively leading to a better quality of care and more efficiently enabling us to provide a better quality service within finite budgets.
Chair: Mary Davoren
Meeting: Tuesday, 16 June, 4:45 PM, Congress Hall
IAFMHS is committed to fostering equity, diversity and inclusion in our organization and in forensic mental health and intellectual disability services globally. The mission of the Equity, Diversity and Inclusion SIG is to 1) create a collaborative forum to discuss and analyze EDI challenges and contemporary issues shaping research, practice and policy and to 2) share and discuss recommendations and feedback about ways in which IAFMHS can address and improve EDI within the organization and in the field more broadly. Attendees of the SIG will have the opportunity to share (either by submitting ahead of time or during the meeting) de-identified cases, challenges and experiences to discuss within an interdisciplinary group with international representation. These exchanges will aim to generate practical insights while informing organizational EDI priorities and initiatives.
Chair: Sarah Schaaf & Lindsey Healey
Meeting: Wednesday, 17 June, 4:30 PM, Congress Hall
Family Engagement
As a group, this SIG on Family Engagement will provide a forum for members to meet and share research and evidence-based practices on family interventions, family support, family recovery processes and family perspectives in a forensic context and to build a foundation for research, training, education and the exchange of knowledge on family engagement (i.e., inform, consult, involve, collaborate, support and empower).
Family Engagement – Share, Learn, Connect!
Join us for an interactive and reflective session where practice meets research. This SIG meeting invites participants to share real-world experiences of engaging families in forensic settings — from promising practices and innovative initiatives to ongoing challenges at local and national levels.
What can you expect?
- Roundtable discussion centered on your ideas, thoughts and experiences
- Exchange of strategies, insights and lessons learned
- Collective reflection on challenges and opportunities in family engagement
This session is designed to spark dialogue, inspire new ideas, and strengthen our collective approach to engaging families in meaningful and impactful ways.
Bring a case that reflects your approach to fostering family engagement. Share your experience, and learn from others together!
Chair: Sara Rowaert, Ellen Boldrup Tingleff
Meeting: Tuesday, 16 June, 3:30 PM, Congress Hall
The Mission statement of this SIG is to create a transdisciplinary platform to bring together academics, practitioners, policy makers and other professionals to build a foundation for research, training, education and the exchange of knowledge on (neuro)technological innovations to advance forensic mental healthcare.
The SIG FORNEUROTECH is open to any member of the IAFMHS with a shared interest in forensic neuroscience, forensic neuropsychology, technological innovations (i.e. Virtual/Augmented/Extended Reality, Artificial Intelligence), and legal-ethical matters related to the use of those innovations in a forensic mental health context.
As a group, this SIG will provide a platform for members to meet and share research and evidence-based practices on (neuro)technological innovations and legal-ethical perspectives in a forensic mental health context. Aiming at (1) To establish a framework for research, training, education, support and knowledge exchange, (2) To promote an international and transdisciplinary dialogue about (neuro)technological advances, (3) To promote international research collaboration on the topics of forensic neuroscience, technological innovations and legal-ethical perspectives on these topics, (4) To impact the quality of care and treatment of forensic mental health services. (5) To impact science and support and create membership, leadership and research opportunities. (6)To produce practice guidelines and promote education and training on forensic (neuro)technology.
We invite everybody interested to attend the Meeting of this SIG. During the lunch we will discuss how this SIG will be formed to achieve the above-mentioned goals.
Chairs: Josanne van Dongen and Maaike Kempes
Meeting: Tuesday, 16 June, 2:00 PM, Congress Hall
Institutional Safety in Correctional Settings *Exploratory Meeting*
This exploratory group has been proposed to address the rising levels of interpersonal violence in settings of confinement across the globe, aimed at reducing violence and injury in carceral settings. The Institutional Safety in Correctional Settings group focuses on advancing the understanding, measurement, and prevention of violence, injury, and harm in custodial environments. Recognizing that institutional safety is shaped by clinical, operational, organizational, and environmental factors, this SIG promotes a transdisciplinary approach that integrates forensic mental health, corrections, and public health perspectives.
Key aims include developing shared definitions and measurement frameworks, applying risk-need-responsivity principles to institutional safety, identifying and developing tools, addressing ethical challenges in correctional practice, and translating research into practical harm-reduction strategies. The SIG serves as a collaborative community for professionals working in carceral settings (e.g., prisons, jails, remand centres, and detention centers).
All interested professionals, students, and trainees are welcome to participate in meetings, discussions, and collaborative projects
Chairs: Robin Timme and Kyle Pelletier
Meeting: Thursday, 17 June, 9:45 AM, Congress Hall