Abstract: Submission #190

Abstract In South Africa, the Mental Health Care Act (MHCA) proposes a collaborative relationship between the South African Police Services (SAPS) and mental health care practitioners (MHCP) such as social workers. Police officers are often contacted when a family member is experiencing a mental health crisis. The way in which these families and patients are treated can impact their human rights. There is a lack of published data on this issue; hence the need to investigate the views of social workers about the challenges experienced by families with police services. A qualitative research methodology was employed, and explorative and descriptive research designs were utilised. The most important conclusion indicated that the experiences of families with SAPS support were poor. Recommendations are presented on the actions that could be taken by social workers to improve relationships between SAPS and families of relatives with a mental illness to improve support services.