Intermediaries, psychiatrists and psychologists getting their acts together in the interests of the vulnerable

SUMMARY The role of the intermediary in legal proceedings in England and Wales is traced back to a recommendation in 1989 that there should be an ‘interlocutor’ for vulnerable people involved in criminal proceedings. This article sets out the statutory and procedural provisions for the appointment and deployment of intermediaries. The functions of the intermediary in legal proceedings are described and illustrated with cases from the authors’ experiences and legal judgments handed down in criminal, family and immigration and asylum proceedings. Suggestions are made as to how psychiatrists can best assist the courts when it is considered that the appointment of an intermediary is necessary. Attention is drawn to the importance of psychiatrists, psychologists and intermediaries working collaboratively with each other and with other professionals in order that vulnerable people who have communication difficulties, whether as a result of age, some form of mental disorder, intellectual disability, deafness or for some other reason, can be assisted so as to participate effectively and without disadvantage in legal proceedings.