Family, friends and carers play an important role in supporting people with mental illness to recover and to stay well. A Tribunal hearing is a valuable opportunity for people to have a say about mental health treatment and whether they need to be on a compulsory treatment order. You can encourage a person to attend their hearing and help them to prepare. You can also offer to attend a hearing with them.
At the start of the hearing the Tribunal will explain what to expect and the decision that needs to be made. A hearing is a chance for everyone to have a say. What you say could help the Tribunal to make its decision.
The Tribunal might ask you a question that you don’t want to answer. That’s okay. You can tell the Tribunal you would prefer not to answer.
Sometimes family, friends and carers want to tell the Tribunal something privately. For reasons of fairness anything you tell the Tribunal needs to be shared with the patient.
The treating team will write a report about why they think the person needs compulsory treatment. You can talk to the treating team at any time and the patient can share the report with you.
If you have questions about a hearing, you can contact the Tribunal or explore our website.