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 MAPPA FRAMEWORK
So; what is MAPPA?
• MAPPA are a set of arrangements to manage the risk posed by the most serious sexual and violent offenders. They bring together the Police, Probation and Prison Services in Humberside into what is known as the MAPPA responsible authority.
• A number of agencies are under a duty to co-operate with the responsible authority. These include: Local Authority Social Services, Primary Care Trusts and strategic health authorities, Youth Offending Teams, local housing authorities, registered social landlords, Local Education authorities, Jobcentre Plus, and electronic monitoring providers.
• The purposes of MAPPA are:
- To ensure more comprehensive risk assessments, taking advantage of co-ordinated information sharing across the
agencies; and
- To direct the available resources to best protect the public.
How does MAPPA work?
• Offenders eligible for MAPPA are identified and information is gathered/shared about them across relevant agencies. The nature and level of the risk of harm they pose is assessed and a risk management plan is implemented to protect the public.
• In most cases, the offender will be managed under the ordinary arrangements applied by the agency or agencies with supervisory responsibility. A number of offenders, though, require active multi agency management and their risk management plans will be formulated and monitored via MAPPA meetings attended by various agencies.
Who are the MAPPA offenders?
There are 3 categories of offender eligible for MAPPA
Category 1 – registered sex offenders
Category 2 – violent offenders sentenced to imprisonment/detention for 12 months or more, or detained under hospital orders. This category also includes a small number of sexual offenders who do not qualify for registration and offenders disqualified from working with children; and
Category 3 – offenders who do not qualify under categories 1 or 2 but who currently pose a risk of serious harm and there is a link between the offending and the risk pose.
How are they managed?
There are 3 levels of management which are based upon the level of multi-agency co-operation required to implement the risk management plan effectively. Higher risk cases tend to be managed at the higher levels and offenders will be moved up and down levels as appropriate:
Level 1: ordinary agency management arrangements are sufficient;
Level 2: regular multi-agency meetings are required;
Level 3 : as level 2 but the case demands that multi-agency co-operation and oversight at a senior level is required, together with the authority to commit exceptional resources, perhaps at short notice, to strengthen the risk management plan.
Violent and Sexual Offenders’ Register (ViSOR)
ViSOR is a database holding details of sexual and violent offenders, and other dangerous persons. In 2008, for the first time, the three MAPPA responsible authority agencies – police, prison, probation – were able to work on the same IT system enabling the sharing of risk assessments and risk management information on individual violent and sex offenders in a timely way to reduce re-offending.
How MAPPA operates locally
The CJA Act 2003 charges the Police, Probation Service and Prison Service with responsibility for establishing the MAPPA and refer to them as the ‘The Responsible Authority’. The duties and responsibility of the Responsible Authority are discharged through the SMB or Strategic Management Board.
What is the role of the strategic Management Board?
• Senior representatives of each of the agencies involved in MAPPA form a strategic management board (SMB) which meets at least quarterly to monitor the arrangements and direct any necessary improvements.
• The SMB will measure effectiveness against new National MAPPA standards introduced in October 2007 in order to ensure a common standard of effective public protection arrangements and that each of the agencies is playing a full part in MAPPA.
Of the Core Features Common to all SMBs are:
• Monitoring and evaluating the operation of MAPPA (at least quarterly) particularly Level 3 meetings
• Establish local connections supporting effective operational work with other Public Protection bodies - LSCBs, CDRPs, LCJBs and MARACS
• Preparation/Publication of the MAPPA Annual Report and promotion of its work
• Planning the longer term Development of MAPPA in the light of regular annual reviews of the arrangements, legislative changes, national guidance and wider criminal justice changes.
• Identify and plan how to meet common training and development needs of those working in the MAPPA.
The MAPPA team take a lead in monitoring Probation staff new to the service, in terms of risk and in co-working more difficult cases. They also assist the Police when requested undertaking risk assessments for Sex Offender Prevention Orders. The team also take a wider role in terms of risk training, and training for Duty to Co-operate Agencies in assisting their staff to gain an understanding of the role of MAPPA, etc.
The close working relationships , especially between members of the Responsible Authority, is witnessed by the fact that Level 2 MAPP meetings are chaired in the Co-ordinators absence, by the Local Operational Police Superintendent or Chief Inspector, together with the attendance of the relevant Risk Management Officers, Probation staff and where applicable representatives of HM Prison Service.
The Chairing of Level 3 MAPP meetings are the responsibility of an Assistant Chief Probation Officer or Police Head of C.I.D. Similarly there is a satisfying level of co-operation from and between those Duty to Co-Operate Agencies with Healthcare Agencies working closely together especially where difficulties in funding the assessment of specialist reports is required and by the Housing Departments and Childcare Services , and many other agencies from the voluntary sector in offering mentoring and support. Above all there is a mutuality of interest in the protection of known victims and the Public by both specialist workers and other agencies involved in the management of each and every case. MAPP meetings are attended by Women’s Safety Workers and Victim Liaison Workers and the victim or potential victim is certainly at the centre of all deliberations. Our defensibility test is quite simple – ‘has everything that could be done, been done’ to reduce risk and to protect the Public.
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