Appendix 1
Perth and Kinross Council · 25 January 2023
Back to Housing and Social Wellbeing Committee — 25 January 2023 and its agenda
Text extracted from the council's PDF. Layout and reading order may differ from the original.
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Multi Agency Public Protection Arrangements Annual Report 2021-2022 1 Annual Report 2021-2022
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Multi Agency Public Protection Arrangements Annual Report 2021-2022 2
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Multi Agency Public Protection Arrangements Annual Report 2021-2022 1 INTRODUCTION I am pleased to introduce the Tayside Multi Agency Public Protection Arrangements (MAPPA) Annual Report on behalf of the Tayside MAPPA Strategic Oversight Group (SOG). The purpose of MAPPA is public protection and reducing the risk of serious harm. MAPPA brings together key partners to provide an integrated way of working and the SOG provides leadership of multi-agency arrangements across the region. Our SOG has membership from Dundee City, Perth and Kinross and Angus Council Social Work and housing departments, NHS Tayside, Police Scotland and The Scottish Prison Service. It is supported by an Operations Group which concentrates on operational delivery, training, development, self-evaluation, data analysis and continuous improvement. Members routinely reflect on arrangements with a focus on ensuring public safety is paramount. Over the coming year the SOG will work with partners to formulate a communications and engagement strategy. The strategy will cover all forms of communication but in particular seek to improve the knowledge of MAPPA and its effectiveness across all sections of society. The management of sex offenders in the community relies on services being able to monitor offenders through effective engagement, visits and supports. MAPPA services risk assess offenders housing and their contacts with the community so that the risk to the public is minimised. Alan Small Tayside MAPPA SOG Independent Chair
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Multi Agency Public Protection Arrangements Annual Report 2021-2022 2 TAYSIDE MAPPA Multi Agency Public Protection Arrangements (MAPPA) are a set of arrangements to manage the risk posed by the most dangerous offenders under the provision of the Management of Offenders etc (Scotland) Act 2005. In Tayside the Responsible Authorities continue to be committed to work together to prevent the public, residing in our communities becoming victims of serious harm. The responsible authorities of Tayside are: • Dundee City Council • Perth & Kinross Council • Angus Council • Police Scotland • Scottish Prison Service • NHS Tayside MAPPA MAPPA is the process in which those who pose a significant risk are managed and it brings agencies together to help manage that risk. To be managed under the auspices of MAPPA a person must be • Registered Sex Offenders (RSOs) – are those individuals who are required to comply with the sex offender notification requirements (SONR) as set out in Part 2 of the Sexual Offences Act 2003. • Restricted Patients, - are patients subject to a compulsion order with restriction order, a hospital direction or a transfer for treatment direction; that is patients who are subject to special restrictions under the Mental Health (Care and Treatment) (Scotland) Act 2003. • Other Risk of Serious Harm Individuals – these are individuals who are not required to comply with the SONR or who are not Restricted Patients; but who by reason of their conviction; are considered by the Responsible Authorities to be • persons who may cause serious harm to the public at large. These individuals are known as Category 3 offenders.
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Multi Agency Public Protection Arrangements Annual Report 2021-2022 3 When a person becomes subject to MAPPA they will be managed within one of 3 levels, • Level 1:Routine Risk Management; used in cases where the risk posed by the offender can be managed by one agency without actively or significantly involving other agencies, • Level 2: Multi-Agency Risk Management; used where the active involvement of more than one agency is required to manage the offender and their risk is deemed high or very high. • Level 3: Multi Agency Public Protection Panels (MAPPP); used for the management of the critical few where the plan requires close co-operation at a senior level due to the complexity of the case and/or because of the unusual resource commitment it requires, or the case is exceptional because of the likelihood of media scrutiny and/or public interest in the management of the case is high. Cases should be managed based on the most current risk assessment, analysis of risk of serious harm and the Risk Management Plan (RMP). Risk assessments and Risk Management Plans are crucial to ensuring offenders are supervised effectively with the appropriate measures in place to manage the risk they pose. More information on the management levels can be found in the MAPPA Guidance 2022.
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Multi Agency Public Protection Arrangements Annual Report 2021-2022 4 DUNDEE CITY COUNCIL During the pandemic in Dundee Friarfield House remained open with continued implementation of safe systems of work. Client interviews remained by appointment only with all clients seen on a face-to-face basis in accordance with National Outcomes and Standards and locally implemented Minimum Practice Requirements. All people subject to MAPPA were supervised and supported through a combination of office appointments and announced and unannounced home visits. PPE was used as required and telephone contact was made with anyone testing positive and in isolation. In crisis situations, people were given an immediate appointment to attend the office. Through the MAPPA case review process, monthly audits and monthly staff supervision, it has shown all people were supervised appropriately. In addition, all accredited programme work continued to be delivered without any extensions to Orders being required. The team worked creatively with other services to promote a holistic approach. Compliance levels continued to be high, with people mostly attending appointments where required and few instances of re-offending. Breach reports are submitted promptly to allow the Parole Board to consider revocation of Licence. Alongside staff supervision (both formal and informal), staff in the Public Protection Team also have the opportunity on a 3 monthly basis to attend supervision with an external counsellor. They can also take cases to the Complex Case Discussion with David Briggs, Forensic Clinical Psychologist. Case Study Peter was released on licence in Nov 2019. At that time, he was initially managed at MAPPA Level 3. Despite the pandemic, he was seen on a weekly basis for office appointments and home visits and engaged positively with his supervising officer and his Sex Offender Policing Unit officer. Through his engagement he evidenced his learning from the programmes completed in custody and continued to engage in an open and honest manner with the professionals involved. In 2020 he secured his own tenancy, strengthened family relationships and got himself a dog. In 2021 he secured training through the Jobcentre and has accessed various temporary jobs in construction. He remains motivated to avoid offending and is now managed by MAPPA at Level 1.
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Multi Agency Public Protection Arrangements Annual Report 2021-2022 5 Moving forward, all clients are now able to attend Friarfield House both with and without appointment. Following the introduction of hybrid working arrangements, staff work in the co-located office to promote an integrated approach with Police Scotland and NHST, whilst also carrying out key roles at home. Accredited groupwork programmes have also resumed with 5 people in each group. PERTH & KINROSS COUNCIL Access to services continued to be curtailed for clients during 2021/2022 because of the restrictions brought about by COVID-19. During 2021/2022 staff gradually returned to office working on certain days of the week. This was on a rota basis as we still had to ensure physical distancing measures and comply with other covid restrictions within the workplace. This did allow workers to gradually increase the frequency of face to face meetings with clients and we did also arrange office based appointments for some clients with the social worker in attendance “virtually” over a Microsoft Teams call. This was particularly useful when providing Tay Project or MFMC sessions whereby we did not have to have multiple workers in a room with a client. The service slowly transitioned to face to face appointments between lockdowns but had to be flexible and revert to more restrictive contact as guidance fluctuated and further restrictions were imposed. The final restrictions were lifted towards the end of the reporting year 2021/2022 and a greater proportion of appointments with clients resumed as face to face. Microsoft Teams has proved to be a preferred method for facilitating meetings including Multi-Agency Public Protection Meetings (MAPPA) even after the end of the pandemic as it allows more effective use of resources in terms of staff time and travel. Case Study During this year we had a MAPPA level 3 offender released into the community at the end of his sentence and subject to an extended sentence supervision period. An Intensive Support Package was put in place with 24-hour monitoring and supervision. This arrangement worked well from the release date in November 2021 until the end of the reporting year. The arrangement demonstrated good interagency working and communication. The outcome was disappointing in that the offender breached his licence conditions in May 2022 and was recalled to custody but this also proved that the package was necessary for public protection and did serve that purpose and minimise the effect and nature of the breach.
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Multi Agency Public Protection Arrangements Annual Report 2021-2022 6 ANGUS COUNCIL This past year has seen on-going challenges due to COVID, however all service users were seen on a face to face basis as per their risk management plans. COVID saw MAPPA meetings being held online and new processes were established and embedded very quickly. All involved have found this a much more efficient and effective way (reduction in travel and time) of carrying out such meetings and all parties seem keen for this to continue. MAPPA partnerships remain strong in Angus with all agencies working well together. Four workers from the Public Protection Team have undertaken and passed the CPORT training for men who commit indecent images offences. Initial thoughts are this may lead to a more proportionate response. Partners have attempted to streamline ERA processes and this appears to be working well. We will continue to monitor this and Housing, Police and Justice services will continue to meet to review this. TAY PROJECT The Tay Project is made up of specially trained Social Workers who are responsible for the delivery of assessments and interventions for men who commit sexual offences and are subject to a Community Payback Order or License Conditions across Tayside. The interventions are delivered through an accredited programme called Moving Forward Making Changes (MFMC). MFMC is designed to meet the treatment needs of male sexual offenders who have committed either sexual offences, or offences with a clear sexual element. The programme is for medium to very high risk offenders over the age of 18 years. The MFMC programme is a cognitive behavioural programme that utilises an integrated theory of change approach. The aim of the programme is to reduce reoffending of men convicted of sexual/sexual motivated offences. The length of time an offender will spend in treatment will depend upon their risk and needs which will inform the treatment formulation. This will be individualised for each offender. The programme is delivered in a group setting or on a 2:1 with the individual requiring treatment.
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Multi Agency Public Protection Arrangements Annual Report 2021-2022 7 HOUSING Housing partners have continued to operate effectively and continued to secure housing when needed despite pressures experienced as a result of the pandemic, workforce issues, increasing costs and material shortages impacting on repairs services and increasing void and turnover times. However identifying suitable accommodation is likely to become increasingly more challenging in a context of the cost of living crisis, constrained resources, the humanitarian efforts to accommodate refugees and deliver the more recent Ukrainian schemes, as well as the risks surrounding the potential increase in homelessness presentations when the schemes come to an end. New statutory requirements are also expected to be implemented in 2023 on all public bodies and landlords to prevent homelessness, particularly by asking and acting on a risk of homelessness, as well as responsibilities relating to strategic and joint planning. The proposed Prevention of Homelessness duties are based on the following overarching ‘foundational principles’: • Responsibility to prevent homelessness should be a shared public responsibility and not rely solely or primarily on the homelessness service. • Intervention to prevent homelessness should start as early as possible. In many cases this will be before issues have escalated to a point where homelessness appears imminent. • People facing homelessness should have choice in where they live and access to the same range of housing outcomes as members of the general public, with appropriate protections to mitigate further risk of homelessness. Housing outcomes should be comparable across the prevention and homelessness duties. The MOG and SOG will respond to any requirements arising from the implementation of the new Housing Bill and potential pressures arising from the cost of living crisis and humanitarian schemes and respond appropriately to mitigate any risks that arise.
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Multi Agency Public Protection Arrangements Annual Report 2021-2022 8 POLICE SCOTLAND During the reporting period, the impact of the pandemic continued to be felt, however face to face offender home visits continued, with appropriate Covid 19 risk assessment. Professional meetings were held almost exclusively online. This process was embedded quickly and worked well with the positive outcome of eradicating travelling and freeing up valuable time. We are aware that online crime increased during the pandemic and with that, online sexual abuse and cases involving the possession of indecent images of children. It is anticipated that demand on policing will continue to increase in complexity in terms of cyber enabled crime, however our cyber strategy aims to ensure specialist officers and staff have the skills, tools and support to respond to this threat. The Criminal Justice System slowed, with courts unable to operate at normal capacity, however other measures are available to mitigate risk prior to sentencing including remand, bail conditions and civil orders. Protecting vulnerable people from harm and the management of registered sex offenders continues to be a national policing priority. Police Scotland will closely monitor this critical area of business to ensure that resourcing levels are maintained in accordance with the nationally recognised Lead Investigator / Offender ratios. Table 4: Restricted Patients NHS TAYSIDE As with all organisations that are within the MAPPA portfolio, this has remained a challenging year due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and remobilisation of services as a result of this. NHS Tayside has been at the forefront of care delivery locally and the Public Protection agenda has remained a priority for the organisation. Over the last year, NHS Tayside has continued to build on the foundations laid in the previous year in relation to the Public Protection framework which has seen all aspects of this business progress and prioritised with the ongoing strengthening of the Public Protection Executive Group which is chaired by the Executive Nurse Director. MAPPA falls within this framework and is part of the core public protection agenda within NHS Tayside.
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Multi Agency Public Protection Arrangements Annual Report 2021-2022 9 NHS Tayside contributes to a range of oversight activities as a member of the MAPPA Strategic Oversight Group and continues to work with our partners to enhance the operation of MAPPA. The MAPPA Health Liaison Officer (MHLO) role has remained an essential post throughout COVID-19 which has ensured that NHS Tayside has been able to support joint working with our key partners and fulfil our duty to co-operate with a focus on risk management and continued protection of the public. The MHLO has continued to provide support and advice across NHS Tayside in relation to risk assessment and risk management of MAPPA clients as well as supporting learning and developing activities and the broader adult / public protection agenda within NHS Tayside as part of our multiagency responsibilities. HMP CASTLE HUNTLY HMP Castle Huntly was affected in many ways by the Covid pandemic. However, a recovery plan is in place and the prison is starting to make progress in ensuring opportunities are once again available for those in our care. This includes outside activities with the PEI’s which include cycling and football in the community. Although admissions ceased for a number of months, they have started to rise again slowly, and we are seeing the positive outcomes for people, such as the connections with the community, and the benefits this brings. During 2020, normal monthly multi-disciplinary MAPPA meetings to oversee each case were suspended due to a lack of community access and movement, and Risk Management Team (RMT) meetings remained the platform to manage them. The HMP Castle Huntly monthly MAPPA meeting recommenced in March 2021. Meetings were held on 4 May and 2 August, 2022. This meeting remains a good practice piece of work to ensure HMP Castle Huntly manages and reviews all aspects of the MAPPA prisoners plan, and is not a decision-making forum. This chart shows the total of MAPPA RSO’s and Category 3 people within HMP Castle Huntly at present.
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Multi Agency Public Protection Arrangements Annual Report 2021-2022 10 HMP PERTH HMP Perth has continued to operate with very few interruptions to regular MAPPA business during the period of the pandemic and this has continued as we emerge from the COVID restrictions. The Integrated Case Management (ICM) team continue to enjoy regular correspondence and assistance from the MAPPA Co-ordinator, the local Sex Offender Policing Units (SOPU) and Community based Social Work within Tayside. The introduction of MAPPA meetings by Teams continues to have a positive impact to the process. This has allowed senior staff at Unit Manager Level and above to attend meetings without any major disruption to their working day. The virtual platform has been positive and has not disrupted the ability of sharing information. SOPU staff have continued to be involved in pre–release ICM case conferences and again the use of telephone case conferences has aided this process. Numbers within custody from Tayside have remained relatively constant throughout the report year, between August 2021 and August 2022, the numbers have averaged between 54 and 64.
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Multi Agency Public Protection Arrangements Annual Report 2021-2022 11 An emerging issue, which has brought some challenges, are individuals returning to the community when the court backdates their sentence due to time served on remand. There have been a number of instances recently where those individuals who have spent a longer than usual period on remand are released within days, weeks or even immediately on return from court. This has proven to be challenging over this report year and in order to mitigate the associated risks this has posed, we have provided the proposed court dates to MAPPA administration for their information and action. The sharing of this information has worked well over the report period and has allowed the necessary planning to take place prior to release. MAPPA CO-ORDINATION As the challenges of Covid continued throughout 2021 and into 2022 MAPPA meetings remained to be held via MS Teams across the three local authorities. By using MS Teams members have been able to join meetings without travel and it has been excellent for time management. It has been noted that greater attendance of all agencies has occurred by using MS Teams. As we go forward MS Teams will continue to be utilised for future MAPPA meetings. The MAPPA Co-ordinator and Chair of the Strategic Oversight Group (SOG) have continued to attend national meetings and each local authority Chief Officer Group meetings allowing for national themes to be shared locally. The formation of SOG sub groups, Self-Evaluation Group, MOG and Training Group, SCR review group, has allowed for the examination of MAPPA activity throughout the year.
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Multi Agency Public Protection Arrangements Annual Report 2021-2022 12 STATISTICAL INFORMATION As of 31 March, 22, there were 356 Registered Sex Offenders managed in the community in Tayside, a decrease of 8 offenders on the previous year. Of the 356 there were 112 (31%) subject to statutory supervision requirement with Community Justice Social Work and managed jointly with Police Scotland, Sex Offender Policing Unit. The number of offenders managed in each local authority area is detailed below; ANGUS 95 (a decrease of 3 on the previous year) DUNDEE 140 (the same as the previous year) PERTH & KINROSS 121 (an decrease of 5 on the previous year) In March 2016, MAPPA was extended to include Category 3 offenders, who are considered to be High risk individuals subject to a statutory order and require multi-agency management. This year 3 individuals have been considered and managed under the Category 3 process. In this reporting year there has been 75 new offenders convicted and made subject to MAPPA managements. With Dundee seeing the biggest increase. ANGUS 22 DUNDEE 32 PERTH & KINROSS 21 However, during the same reporting period there has been 64 offenders archived. Archiving occurs when an offender has reached the end of their term of registration or they have died. ANGUS 17 DUNDEE 25 PERTH & KINROSS 22 Throughout this past year we have continued to utilise MS Teams for MAPPA meetings 369 Level 1 meetings, 108 level 2 meetings and 6 Level 3 meetings were held, thus ensuring business as usual for the management of the offenders within our communities.
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Multi Agency Public Protection Arrangements Annual Report 2021-2022 13 WHAT WE SAID WE WOULD DO IN 2021/2022 The following priorities were identified for 2021/2022: Communication plan to be agreed and implemented The Scottish Government has updated the MAPPA Engagement Strategy, the Tayside SOG will examine this to ensure that the strategies in Tayside match that designed by the Government. Progression of training programme A Training Group has been identified and are currently examining the revised MAPPA Guidance and putting together a training programme for the operational staff involved in MAPPA. Training events will occur across the three local authorities with the focus initially being on MAPPA Chair training On publication of the reviewed MAPPA Guidance ensure local practice is up to date the Self Evaluation group will look to extend self-evaluation work, build a calendar and consider appropriate audits. The Self Evaluation group continue to meet and the performance report has now become routine business and statistical information is produced monthly, the calendar of audits has also begun with each agency carrying out their respective audits with the results being shared to develop any learning outcome.
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Multi Agency Public Protection Arrangements Annual Report 2021-2022 14 GOING FORWARD 2022/2023 The Tayside MAPPA SOG Strategic Plan 2020-2023 sets out that we will monitor and review the Tayside MAPPA Environmental Risk Assessment (ERA) process and ensure that risk assessments are completed within the Scottish Government’s National Accommodation for Sex Offender’s minimum standards. The Tayside MAPPA housing leads agreed a monitoring framework in April 2022 and will report to the Tayside MAPPA MOG and SOG at the end of each quarter on: a. Number of initial and renewal ERAs requested each month b. % of ERAs completed in timescale c. % of ERA’s completed out with timescale d. % of ERAs assessed as suitable • Examine National communication strategy and develop a Tayside document • Maintain links with the National MAPPA groups ensuring that any new practice is delivered and embedded locally • Work with partners to agree a revised information sharing agreement following recent national discussions between the Responsible Authorities. This will include which systems and other means of information sharing are used and the potential to implement a new information management system MAPPS being developed by the Home Office.
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Multi Agency Public Protection Arrangements Annual Report 2021-2022 18 Designed by Communications, Dundee City Council SM/10/22 MAPPA Co-ordinator Friarfield House Barrack Street Dundee, DD1 1PQ Tel: 01382 435518 Fax: 01382 435080