Multi-Agency Public Protection Arrangements (MAPPA) in Scotland: National Overview Report 2024-2025

11. Social Work Scotland

Social Work Scotland is the professional body for social work leaders, working closely with partners to shape policy and practice, and improve the quality and experience of social work services. The local authority is the Responsible Authority with primary responsibility for the management of individuals subject to statutory supervision in the community. This responsibility for the joint arrangements within a local authority lies primarily with the Chief Social Work Officer. However, other local authority services, such as housing, education and children and families, also have key duties in relation to this function.

As a Responsible Authority, the local authority is a key member of MAPPA Strategic Oversight Groups and contributes to significant case reviews and implementing any related recommendations pertaining to practice, and adherence to legislation and guidance. The local authority is also a key member of local Public Protection Chief Officer Groups, and Social Work Scotland is represented on the Scottish Government MAPPA National Strategic group. The management of the vast majority of Registered Sex Offenders (RSO) is Police led for the purposes of MAPPA, however, justice social work supervises and manages MAPPA Category 1 and 2 RSOs subject to community payback orders and licences following release from prison. This requires having a capable, well- trained workforce in order to manage this range of individuals.

During 2024-2025, Justice Social Work have continued to:-

• work in collaboration with other Responsible Authorities and Duty to Co-operate agencies to ensure the protection of the public.
• work with the Home Office and partners in relation to the development of MAPPS across the UK. A national Implementation plan and local planning is under discussion. There are a number of challenges for local Authorities in Scotland to address.
• provide justice social work reports and risk assessments to inform the court sentencing process;
• provide a throughcare service to prisoners released on statutory supervision including ongoing risk assessment, developing risk management plans, contributing to the Scottish Prison Service’s enhanced Integrated Case Management (ICM) process and providing reports to the Parole Board for Scotland;
• deliver sexual offending programmes to people subject to community payback orders and licences in the community.

Moving Forward to Change Justice social work professionals had been involved in contributing to the design, testing and training of the new Moving Forward 2 Change (MF2C) programme.

MAPPA Category 3 Local authorities are the lead Responsible Authority for MAPPA Category 3, Other Risk of Serious Harm Individuals. This includes people who are not required to comply with the Sex Offender Notification Requirements and who are assessed by the Responsible Authorities as posing a high or very high risk of serious harm to the public (for example, people convicted of serious violent and domestic abuse related offences). As with RSOs, the local authority is responsible for holding the community payback order or licence and for taking action to initiate breach proceedings with the court or the Parole Board where a person has breached their order or licence. This involves monitoring, management and targeted intervention to address offending and prevention of further offending. In certain cases, this will require recommending immediate recall to prison where there is an imminent risk of serious harm.

Internet Offending Eight local authorities had been involved in piloting a new framework for assessing men convicted of offences involving indecent images of children. The pilot concluded in September 2024 and is being overseen by a multi-agency group, chaired by the Risk Management Authority. An end of pilot report will be published in due course.

MAPPS Social Work Scotland has been involved with UK partners in the development of the MAPPS programme which will replace VISOR. In 2024-25, the MAPPS programme has had to reset and realign its priorities, refining the product and delivery roadmap. SOLACE represents local authorities in Scotland on the Programme board and work is progressing towards having a national implementation plan, addressing the challenges in order to be operational by 2028.

Terrorism and Counter-Terrorism (TACT) - A proposal has been under discussion around how Registered Terrorist Offenders should be treated under the MAPPA framework. The paper proposes that a small cadre of 3 CT Specialist Justice Social Workers should be set up, which has a national function, for the purpose of completing all relevant risk assessments for Registered Terrorist Offenders (RTOs) and where applicable delivering any counter terrorism interventions. They would work alongside prison based social work teams and community-based teams. This proposal requires further consideration.

Prevent: The Prevent Assurance Processes were due for submission to the Home Office on the 31^st of March 2025. The purpose was to understand where challenges and gaps exist, and identify & share good practice. The six self-assessed outcomes were fully met.

Visor: MAPPS implementation is delayed and there has been a renewed focus on the use of Visor across local authorities. The Visor User Group continues to meet, where issues and good practice can be raised and shared with LAs. Police Scotland have taken on the chairing of Scottish Regional User Group (SRUG), which ensures a consistency in information sharing across the Visor network.

Other Activity

As part of SWS Justice Standing Committee, the public protection subgroup has been addressing the agenda around neurodivergence and ageing prison population, including older RSOs.