The aim of this article is to identify how the forensic community mental health nurse is able to care for families of people who have a diagnosis of schizophrenia and are being cared for within a forensic environment

The main focus for the work of the community mental health nurse is interaction with a range of peers, other professionals, patients, and relatives or carers. The literature available concerning the roles of the community mental health nurse discusses ‘tasks' for ease of clarity, but when examining these tasks, it should be remembered that these are not discrete or isolated, but constituents of a comprehensive, interactive process.