ESCATA, the enterprising and innovative organisation which specialises in training material for health and social services professionals, does not claim mainly to produce educational films but rather, what it terms ‘video assisted workshops’. This is an important distinction and should be borne in mind when viewing the ‘Tread Softly’ video which looks at the transition from large psychiatric hospitals to local community services and is intended for practitioners, planners, managers and members from both voluntary and statutory mental health services.