National Picture in Scotland By William Manson
What is MAPPA?
- MAPPA is a set of arrangements established by Police, Local Authorities, the Scottish Prison Service and the Health Service (responsible authorities) to assess and manage the risk posed by certain sexual and violent offenders;
- The fundamental purpose of MAPPA is public safety and reduction of serious harm;
- A number of other agencies are under a duty to co-operate with the Responsible Authorities. These are commonly known as Duty to Co-operate agencies and examples include housing providers, the voluntary sector and the Children's Reporter. The duty to co -operate includes sharing of information and is reciprocal in that it is intended as a means of enabling different agencies to work together, within their legitimate or statutory role whilst retaining responsibility for action;
- The Responsible Authorities oversee arrangements locally.
How do the MAPPA work?
- Information about registered sex offenders is gathered/shared 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;
- The majority of offenders will be assessed as presenting a low or medium risk of harm and will be managed by one agency without the significant or on-going involvement of others. A number of offenders, will, however, require active multi-agency management and their risk management plans will be agreed via MAPPA meetings attended by various agencies;
- Every Community Justice Authority area in Scotland is supported by at least one MAPPA coordinator whose responsibilities include co-ordinating MAPPA arrangements, collating information and attendance at meetings for those offenders deemed to present the greatest risks. There are 11 MAPPA co-ordinators across Scotland.
Who are the MAPPA offenders?
There are 3 categories of offender eligible for MAPPA:
Registered sexual offenders (Category 1) - sexual offenders who are required to notify the police of their name, address and other personal details and notify any changes subsequently;
Violent offenders (Category 2) - offenders convicted on indictment of a crime inferring personal violence and who are on probation or subject to licence following release.
Other Offenders (Category 3) - offenders who do not qualify under categories 1 or 2 but who have been convicted of an offence which leads the responsible authorities to believe that they continue to pose a risk of serious harm to the public and require multi agency management.
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. Offenders will be moved up and down levels as appropriate:
Level 1 - Ordinary Management The identified risk can be managed by one agency without significant active involvement by other agencies. There is still an expectation that information will be shared and there will be joint working and collaboration between agencies.
Level 2 - Multi-agency Management The risk management plans for these offenders require the active involvement of several agencies via regular multi-agency public protection meetings.
Level 3 - Multi Agency Public Protection Panel As with level 2 but these cases additionally require the involvement of senior officers to authorise the use of special resources and/or to provide ongoing senior management oversight. These cases are generally assessed as presenting a high or very high risk of harm and are the critical few.
William Manson
National MAPPA Co-ordinator
FURTHER INFORMATION
Further detailed information about the National development of MAPPA and related matters can be found on the Scottish Government website.
http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2008/04/18144823/0