Multi Agency Public Protection (MAPPA) National Guidance 2014

MAPPA Guidance issued by Scottish Ministers under section 10(6) of the Management of Offenders etc (Scotland) Act 2005. This guidance has been developed by the Scottish Government in conjunction with the responsible authorities.


19 Performance Management and Quality Assurance

1 The monitoring and evaluation activities of the Strategic Oversight Group (SOG) contribute to the MAPPA annual report, drive the business planning process and provide the means of reviewing the effectiveness of MAPPA in each area against nationally identified indicators.

2 This involves the collection and analysis of both quantitative and qualitative data. The MAPPA coordinator will collate and provide this information for the SOG and will ensure that the information reflects the nationally identified indicators in this section.

3 The SOG should review quantitative and qualitative data on at least a quarterly basis to allow it to assess its performance, provide an opportunity for bench marking and for timely interventions where issues are identified. There are three ways to achieve this:

  • Use of quarterly quantitative data reports from ViSOR, some of which address general information contained in the MAPPA annual reports (for example, number of MAPPA offenders by category and level) as well as other information which allows the SOG to identify trends in MAPPA categories and levels and to report diversity information;
  • Qualitative data audits of MAPPA Level 2 and 3 managed cases, and observations of Chairs to ensure that meetings are effectively managed; and
  • Analysis of Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) data to assess the extent of compliance.

Quantitative data

4 The MAPPA coordinator on behalf of the SOG should have arrangements in place to collect performance data. ViSOR can produce management reports for the majority of the following measures ('V' indicates a report available from ViSOR) and these reports can be produced on a monthly, quarterly and annual basis for performance measurement.

  • The total number of MAPPA offenders by category and Level who are being managed at Level 2 or 3 in the community (V). This report will provide a snapshot of the number of offenders managed in the community by category and level;
  • The total number of registered sex offenders being managed at all levels in the community (V);
  • The total number of restricted patients being managed at all levels in the community. This data will have to be obtained by the MAPPA coordinator, from the Mental Health Services locally;
  • New cases by category and level that are being managed at Level 2 or 3 in the community for a specific time period (V);
  • Cases which are archived by category and level during a specific time period (V);
  • Diversity information by category and level showing age, gender, ethnicity (V);
  • The number of wanted or missing registered sex offenders (see chapter 17 for more detail and definitions of wanted and missing offenders). This would include the number classified as wanted or missing, the length of time they have been wanted or missing, the number of wanted or missing offenders within a given period that have been located, and the number of new cases of wanted or missing offenders in a given period (V);
  • The number of MAPPA offenders by category and level who commit a further sexual or violent offence;
  • Agency attendance at MAPPA meetings, to include those who were invited and attended, those who were invited and gave apologies, those who were invited and gave apologies but provided a report for the meeting and those who were invited, failed to attend and did not provide apologies;
  • The total number of MAPPA meetings held in a given period and, from this, the number of cases where the decision was taken to disclose information, detailing to whom it was made, by whom, whether it was achieved within the timescale agreed by the MAPPA meeting and the number of cases where the decision not to disclose was taken;
  • The number of civil orders (Sexual Offences Prevention Order (SOPO), Notification Order and Foreign Travel Order) which have been applied for, the number granted, the number refused and the number made by the court at point of criminal conviction (V);
  • The number of breaches of SOPO; and
  • The number of breaches of licence by category and level who were recalled to prison (V).

5 These reports are to support local performance management and are not intended for the public domain with the exception of the data that is used within the MAPPA annual reports.

Qualitative data

6 Qualitative data can be obtained from:

  • Case Audit of Level 2 and 3 MAPPA cases;
  • Audit of Level 2 and 3 MAPPA meetings;
  • MAPPA Significant Case Reviews; and
  • Peer review.

Case audit

7 The MAPPA coordinator, on behalf of the SOG, should undertake or coordinate a random case audit of a selection of Level 2 and Level 3 cases. The purpose of the audit is not to inspect the work of individual agencies, although how they work will affect the overall quality, but how MAPPA itself operated. The frequency of this should be agreed locally but should take place annually as a minimum. The MAPPA offender audit form within the document set in this guidance can be used for this purpose.

The audit should:

  • Review the referral and minutes of the MAPPA meetings;
  • Identify whether all agencies were present at all relevant meetings to allow the MAPPA meeting to progress its work effectively;
  • Review the MAPPA Risk Management Plan(s);
  • Identify if agencies completed the actions assigned to them in a timely manner;
  • Identify areas of good practice;
  • Identify areas where practice and communication between agencies could be improved; and
  • Identify how feedback will be provided to the Strategic Oversight Group and relevant agencies.

Audit of Level 2 and 3 MAPPA meetings

8 To ensure that MAPPA meetings are effectively managed, the MAPPA coordinator should put in place a process to support MAPPA meeting Chairs through feedback of their performance and the effective conduct of the MAPPA meetings. It is suggested that this takes place on a quarterly basis. The audit form within the MAPPA document set in this guidance can be used for this purpose.

MAPPA significant case review

9 Where a MAPPA offender has been the subject of a significant case review, the SOG should discuss the review findings and ensure that an action plan is developed to address the findings and recommendations and that this plan is progressed to completion.

Peer review

10 Many areas use peer review as a method of benchmarking the effectiveness of local MAPPA arrangements and confirming the appropriateness of decision making. This is particularly useful for MAPPA Chairs and regular peer review can be organised by the MAPPA coordinator.

MAPPA Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)

11 Every SOG meeting should check its compliance against the following KPIs to measure the effectiveness of their area's work within MAPPA:

  • 90% of Level 3 MAPPP cases reviewed no less than once every six weeks;
  • 85% of MAPPA Level 2 cases reviewed no less than once every twelve weeks;
  • Disclosure to be considered and the decision to be recorded in the minutes at 100% of Level 2 and 3 MAPPA meetings.

Additional minimum standards

12 The following are agreed minimum standards within the MAPPA process and are relevant to performance management. They are referred to elsewhere in this guidance and should be recorded by the MAPPA coordinator on behalf of the SOG:

  • If offender is in the community the Level 2 meeting must be held within twenty working days of receipt of referral by the MAPPA coordinator or their administrator.
  • If the offender is in the community the Level 3 MAPPP must be held within five working days of receipt of referral by the MAPPA coordinator or their administrator.
  • If the offender is in custody or subject to CPA the Level 2 or 3 meeting must be held prior to release into the community.
  • Stage 1 notification for community sentences must be made within three working days of receipt of community sentence.
  • Stage 2 referral of a community sentence must be made within five working days of a stage 1 notification.
  • Information exchange, search and response within five working days from the date requested by the coordinator.
  • Draft minutes of Levels 2 and 3 meetings should be produced within five working days of the meeting.

Analysis

13 The analysis of data is to be undertaken, in the first instance by the MAPPA coordinator. The analysis of the data will assist the SOG in their review and validation of the effectiveness of MAPPA. This will allow for benchmarking against previous local reports or other areas, and timely intervention where issues are identified.

14 Findings should be presented to the SOG, however, any urgent issues should be raised with the Chair of the SOG and relevant agencies without delay.

Contact

Email: Gus MacDonald

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