Interpreter mediation in statutory mental health assessments: a scoping review

This interdisciplinary scoping review addresses the involvement of spoken and signed language interpreters in statutory mental health assessments. Specifically, it sought to identify and review pre-existing literature concerning the barriers and facilitators to effective practice in interpreter-mediated statutory mental health assessments, and the extent to which interpreter mediation supports or impedes a person’s legal rights and best interests in this context. An interdisciplinary team applied the revised Joanna Briggs Institute scoping review framework to review forty-four items of empirical and grey literature covering relevant aspects of the available body of knowledge across the fields of social work, mental health and interpreting studies. The review concludes that there is a lack of direct evidence on interpreting practice in the context of statutory mental health assessments, which is significant considering the high-stakes scenarios that may lead to the deprivation of liberty. The findings suggest that there is insufficient evidence about how the involvement of interpreters in statutory mental health assessments requires adjustments to standard interpreting and monolingual assessment practice. This work highlights the need for more focussed research on good practices for interpreting in this context and calls for guidance for effective interprofessional working between interpreters and other professionals involved.