Risk assessment and risk management: Developing a model of shared learning in clinical practice

Effective risk assessment and risk management is an important component of clinical mental health practice and is vital to people in crisis and at risk of an adverse outcome. This discussion paper reflects on key findings from a symposium addressing clinical risk assessment and risk management processes and methods. The focus of the symposium centred on the importance of shared learning in clinical practice to enable practitioners to reflect and learn from one another in relation to the complexities of modern-day mental health practice and the implications of the various mental health reform agendas to the provision of clinical care and treatment. The symposium provided an opportunity for clinicians to critically present and discuss risk assessment and risk management practices in an endeavour to develop a systematic approach to the effective assessment and management of suicide, aggression and violence in a range of mental health settings. Key findings from the symposium are discussed against a backdrop of contemporary literature in the field and form a practical framework for the assessment and management of risk regarding suicide, aggression and violence.