MAPPA
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 Thames Valley 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: Children’s Services, Adult Social Services, Health Trusts and Authorities, Youth Offending Teams, local housing authorities and certain registered social landlords, 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 with considered and monitored via MAPPA meetings attended by various agencies.In each divisional area within Thames Valley, there are multi-agency meetings, using MAPPA legislation, to ensure the proper and effective management of MAPPA offenders.
These five MAPPA areas match the Basic Command Unit (BCU) areas for both police and probation.
They are: Oxfordshire, West Berkshire, East Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Milton Keynes.
Who are the MAPPA offenders?
There are 3 categories of offender eligible for MAPPA:
Category 1 - registered sexual 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 posed.
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.
(exert from MAPP Annual Report 2007/8)
MAPPA and the OSCB
- The OSCB receives annual reports from MAPPA on its activity
- the OSCB has lead on the development of a protocol clarifying the role of the LSCBs rep who sits on the Strategic MAPPA Board.
- Following a local SCR the OSCB Business Manager has regular meetings with the Strategic MAPA Co-ordinator to ensure actions from the SCR have been implemented and to ensure closer links are forged between the two Boards.
