Multi-agency public protection arrangements (MAPPA)
Multi-Agency Public Protection Arrangements (MAPPA) are statutory arrangements used in England and Wales to assess and manage the risk posed by certain sexual, violent, terrorist or terrorist-risk offenders, and other dangerous offenders living in the community.
MAPPA brings together the Police, His Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service, and other relevant agencies so that information can be shared lawfully and risks can be assessed and managed. The purpose of MAPPA is to help protect the public, including previous victims, children, adults with care and support needs, families and communities, from serious harm.
MAPPA is not a separate organisation or service. It is a framework for agencies to work together to manage risk safely, proportionately and effectively.
Who is managed under MAPPA?
People may be managed under MAPPA if they fall within one of the MAPPA categories set out in national guidance and legislation.
The four MAPPA categories are:
Category 1 – Registered sexual offenders
This includes people who are required to comply with notification requirements under Part 2 of the Sexual Offences Act 2003. This means they must notify the Police of certain personal details, such as their name and address, and any relevant changes.
Category 2 – Violent offenders and certain sexual offenders
This includes people who have been convicted of specified violent offences, or certain sexual offences, and who have received a relevant custodial sentence, hospital order or detention order.
Category 3 – Other dangerous offenders
This includes people who do not fall within Category 1 or Category 2, but who have been assessed as currently posing a risk of serious harm and where active multi-agency management is required.
Category 4 – Terrorist or terrorist-risk offenders
This includes certain terrorism offenders, terrorist-risk offenders, and individuals who meet the criteria for MAPPA management because of terrorism-related risk.
Not everyone who has committed an offence will be managed through MAPPA. The relevant lead agency will identify whether a person meets the criteria for MAPPA and what level of management is required.
How does MAPPA work?
For people managed under MAPPA, agencies work together to:
- identify and assess risk;
- share relevant and proportionate information;
- agree a risk management plan;
- consider safeguarding needs for adults, children, families and victims;
- review risk and management arrangements as circumstances change.
Risk management plans may include supervision, licence conditions, restrictions, monitoring, support, treatment, accommodation planning, information sharing and safeguarding actions where appropriate.
MAPPA cannot remove all risk, but it supports agencies to work together to reduce and manage risk as effectively as possible.
MAPPA levels of management
People managed under MAPPA are managed at one of three levels. The level reflects the degree of multi-agency co-ordination needed to manage the risk.
Level 1 – Ordinary agency management
The person is managed by the lead agency using its usual arrangements. Other agencies may still share information or be involved where needed, but regular formal MAPPA meetings are not required.
Level 2 – Active multi-agency management
This applies where the risk management plan requires active involvement and co-ordination by several agencies. Formal MAPPA meetings are held so that agencies can share information, agree actions and review the risk management plan.
Level 3 – Active enhanced multi-agency management
This applies to the most complex cases, where senior representatives from relevant agencies are required. Level 3 may be used where there is a need for significant resources, senior decision-making, or where there is high public interest or media attention.
People can move between MAPPA levels if the risk changes or if different levels of multi-agency involvement are needed.
Who attends MAPPA meetings?
MAPPA meetings are attended by agencies that have a relevant role in assessing or managing risk. This may include:
- Police;
- His Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service;
- Youth Justice Services;
- Adult Social Care;
- Children’s Social Care;
- health services;
- mental health services;
- housing providers;
- education services;
- other agencies with a statutory duty to co-operate;
- other relevant organisations where their involvement is necessary and proportionate.
Attendance will depend on the circumstances of the individual case and the agencies needed to support effective risk management.
Duty to Co-operate agencies
Some agencies have a statutory duty to co-operate with the MAPPA Responsible Authority. This means they must co-operate, as appropriate, in assessing and managing risk.
Duty to Co-operate agencies can include services such as local authorities, health bodies, Youth Justice Services, housing providers and other relevant organisations. Agencies should share information lawfully, proportionately and only where necessary for public protection, safeguarding or risk management.
MAPPA and safeguarding
MAPPA works alongside local safeguarding arrangements for both children and adults.
There may be situations where MAPPA risk management links with:
- child safeguarding procedures;
- adult safeguarding duties under the Care Act 2014;
- domestic abuse arrangements;
- exploitation and contextual safeguarding work;
- risk management for people with care and support needs;
- victim safety planning;
- community safety arrangements.
Where there are concerns that a child, young person or adult with care and support needs is at risk of abuse, neglect or exploitation, professionals should follow the relevant Warrington safeguarding procedures as well as any MAPPA arrangements.
MAPPA does not replace safeguarding procedures. Instead, it supports agencies to work together where offender risk and safeguarding concerns overlap.
Information sharing and confidentiality
Information shared through MAPPA must be relevant, necessary, proportionate and lawful. Agencies should share information where this is needed to assess or manage risk, protect the public, safeguard children or adults, or support victim safety.
Information should be handled securely and only shared with those who need it for a legitimate safeguarding, public protection or risk management purpose.
Strategic oversight
MAPPA arrangements are overseen locally by a Strategic Management Board. The Strategic Management Board is responsible for monitoring and reviewing how MAPPA operates locally and supporting effective multi-agency public protection arrangements.
Warrington Safeguarding Partnership and Warrington Safeguarding Adults Board work alongside MAPPA arrangements where there are links between public protection, children’s safeguarding, adult safeguarding and wider community safety.
Key message for practitioners
If you are worried that someone may pose a serious risk of harm, or that a child or adult may be at risk because of someone’s offending or concerning behaviour, do not assume another agency is already aware. Follow your organisation’s safeguarding and public protection procedures, record your concerns, and share relevant information with the appropriate agency.
Safeguarding Adults and MAPPA
- Adult Social Care Departments have Safeguarding Adults Boards, established under the Care Act. This requires local agencies to collaborate and work together, and for all agencies to designate a lead officer and form the adult safeguarding boards.
- The Care Act requires local arrangements to be in place to prevent abuse, and to investigate and to take action where a vulnerable adult is being abused. Local safeguarding adult partnerships have systems for calling safeguarding meetings and developing safeguarding plans.
- The local Safeguarding Adults Boards have a range of duties including commissioning, providing safe services and protecting individuals.
- Adult Services representative should have read relevant records prior to attending a MAPPA Meeting
- Provide information, where relevant, on an offender’s care and support needs and the action being taken to promote their well-being.
- They will also be able to provide information on the nature and level of risk an adult at risk (offender as victim or perpetrator, or victim or other identified adults at risk) may be facing,
- Their vulnerability and resilience, their risk to self, and risk of self-harm or commit suicide, and the action being taken by adult services or others to safeguard the adult.
- It is good practice for each borough or MAPPA area to have a core adult social care representative with the relevant experience and authority to commit resources.
- The lead social worker for the adult (or family) at risk should attend, both where the offender poses a risk to a vulnerable adult and where the offender has been identified as an adult at risk.
- Where the lead social worker does not have the authority to make decisions and commitments on behalf of the local authority and in the absence of a core representative able to do so,
- The lead social worker's manager should attend as well or instead.
Additional information / Statutory Guidance can be found at
www.mappa.justice.gov.uk
Multi-agency public protection arrangements (MAPPA): Guidance - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)