21 General introduction 1 more fragile after institutionalization and imprisonment, and that the majority of the network consists of eithermemberswithapotential negative influenceand/or professionals (Skeem et al., 2009; ter Haar-Pomp et al., 2015), we hypothesized that volunteer-linking interventions would be promising for improving mental health outcomes in forensic patients. Therefore, the main aim of the current research project was to develop and examine the effectiveness of an informal social network intervention, based on volunteer-linking, to enhance mental wellbeing in forensic psychiatric patients. Forensic network coaching At Inforsa Forensic Mental Healthcare, a department of Arkin Mental Health Institute that provides forensic psychiatric care for youth and (young) adults in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, we sought collaboration with De Regenboog Groep [The Rainbow Group], an informal care institute providing volunteer services for people with social or mental challenges. We explored whether volunteers living in the community of Amsterdam could complement formal care provided by Inforsa and “weave threads” between reintegrating forensic patients or “loose threads” and people in the society. Hence the running title of this dissertation: Stitching the social fabric of society. With the academic supervision of researchers from the Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry & Psychosocial Care of the Amsterdam UMC and the Department of Research and Quality of Care of Arkin, both affiliated with the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, it was possible to conduct the research in clinical practice. In short, this research is a result of a collaboration between staff from a mental healthcare institute, an informal care institute, and research institutes. Furthermore, this research was financed by De Stichting tot Steun VCVGZ. The informal social network intervention, entitled forensic network coaching (FNC), was developed by De Regenboog Groep in collaboration with Inforsa. The intervention is provided by trained volunteer coaches recruited from the community, who are matched to participants based on mutual personal preferences. FNC is primarily focusing on the development of a supportive and nonprofessional relationship between volunteer coaches and participants – participants have the opportunity to develop a new connection with a person in the community. Secondary goals of FNC are: (1) enhancing the size of the informal social network and quality of relationships with informal network members, (2) enhancing social support, and (3) enhancing social participation in the community. Training of volunteer coaches focuses on knowledge of basic coaching skills, their expectations, attitudes, and commitment, as well as on how to provide or tailor the intervention to personal needs of forensic psychiatric patients. Furthermore, volunteer
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