Section 6 - Managing individuals who pose a risk of harm to children and young people

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Page Contents:

• Introduction
• Collaborative Working 
• “Risk To Children”
  • New offences targeted at those who sexually exploit children and young people
• Multi Agency Public Protection Arrangements (MAPPA)
• Identification of MAPPA Eligible Offenders
• Sharing of relevant information
• ViSOR
• Assessment of the risk of serious harm
• Managing Risk of Serious Harm
• Other Processes and Mechanisms
  • Multi Agency Risk Assessment Conference (MARAC)
  • Offending Behaviour Programmes
  • The Vetting and Barring Scheme
  • Criminal Records Bureau (CRB)
  • The Sex Offender Register
  • Notification Order
  • Sexual Offences Prevention Orders (SOPOs)
  • Risk of Sexual Harm Orders (RSHOs)
• Local MAPPA Contact List
  • Area MAPPA Co-ordinator
  • Administrator to Area MAPPA Co-ordinator
  • Local MAPPA Co-ordinators

Introduction

6.1 This section provides practice guidance and information about a range of mechanisms that are available when managing adults, or children or young people, who have been identified as presenting a risk, or potential risk, of harm to children.

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Collaborative Working

6.2 The Children Act 1989 recognised that the identification and investigation of child abuse together with the protection and support of victims and their families requires multi-agency collaboration. This has rightly focussed on the child and the supporting parent/carer. As part of that protection, action has been taken, usually by the police and children’s social care services to prosecute known offenders and/or control their access to vulnerable children.

6.3 This work, whilst successful in addressing the safety of particular victims has not always acknowledged the on-going risk of harm that an individual perpetrator may present to other children in the future. Nor does it acknowledge that a young person may also be a perpetrator and that the same young person may simultaneously be suffering, or likely to suffer harm and present a risk of harm to other children and young people.

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“Risk To Children”

6.4 The terms ‘Schedule One offender’ and ‘Schedule One offence’ have been commonly used for anyone convicted of an offence against a child listed in Schedule One of the Children and Young Person’s Act 1933. However, a conviction for an offence in Schedule One does not trigger any statutory requirement in relation to child protection issues and inclusion on the schedule was determined solely by the age of the victim and offence for which the offender was sentenced, and not by an assessment of future risk of harm to children.

6.5 Therefore the term ‘Schedule One offender’ is no longer used. It has been replaced with ‘Risk to Children’. This clearly indicates that the person has been identified as presenting a current risk or potential risk of harm to children.

6.6 Guidance on offences against children (Home Office Circular 16/2005)* explains how those people who present risk, or a potential risk, of harm to children should be identified. The Circular explains that the present method of automatically identifying as a risk of harm to children an offender who has been convicted of an offence listed in Schedule One of the Children and Young Person’s Act 1933 fails to focus on those who continue to present a risk.

6.7 The list of offences attached to that Circular carries no statutory requirements, but practitioners working in this area should use the list as a ‘trigger’ to a further assessment, including consideration of previous offences and behaviours, to determine if an offender should be regarded as presenting a continuing risk of harm to children. This allows agencies to focus resources on the correct group of individuals, and not include those who have been identified solely because a child was harmed during the offence, for example as in the case of a road traffic accident. An offender who has harmed a child might not continue to present a risk towards that child or other children. Where a child or young person (aged under 18years) offends against another child, a thorough and specialist assessment should be undertaken to establish the extent to which the young person who has offended continues to pose a risk of harm to other children and young people. They should be alert to the possibility that there may be little or no continuing risk of harm to other children or young people, but never lose sight of taking all possible actions to ensure that children are adequately protected from any future harm. Practitioners should also assess and put in place services to respond to the - often complex - needs of the young person who has offended.

6.8 Once an individual has been sentenced and identified as presenting a risk of harm to children, agencies have a responsibility to work collaboratively to monitor and manage the risk of harm to others. Where the offender is given a community sentence, Offender Managers in Humberside Probation Trust and the Youth Offending Service will monitor the individual’s risk of harm to others and their behaviour, and liaise with partner agencies as appropriate.

6.9 In cases where the offender has been sentenced to a period of custody, prison establishments undertake a similar responsibility and, in addition, notify agencies prior to any period of release. Similarly for offenders released on licence into the community who are assessed as potentially presenting a risk of harm to children, consideration will be given to including licence conditions which seek to prevent the offender’s contact with children.

6.9.1 Home Office Circular 16/2005 gives detailed guidance on offences against children.

6.6.2 The Children and Young Persons Act 1933 and subsequent legislative updates offers information on the legal aspects and a list of offences.
New offences targeted at those who sexually exploit children and young people
6.10 The Sexual Offences Act 2003 introduced a number of new offences to deal with those who abuse and exploit children in this way. The offences protect children up to the age of 18 and can attract tough penalties. They include;

• paying for the sexual services of a child;
• causing or inciting child prostitution;
• arranging or facilitating child prostitution;
• controlling a child prostitute.

6.11 These are not the only charges that may be brought against those who sexually exploit children or young people. Abusers and coercers often physically, sexually and emotionally abuse these children, and may effectively imprison them. If a child is victim of serious offences, the most serious charge that the evidence will support should always be used.

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Multi Agency Public Protection Arrangements (MAPPA)

6.12 Multi Agency Public Protection Arrangements provide a national framework in England and Wales for the assessment and management of risk posed by specified sexual and violent offenders, including offenders (young people) who are considered to pose a risk, or potential risk, of serious harm to children. These arrangements are statutory requirements. Sections 325 – 327 of the Criminal Justice Act 2003 (effective from 5th April 2004) require the police, prisons and probation services (the “Responsible Authority”) in each area to establish and monitor these arrangements. A number of other agencies – including children’s and adult’s social care services, health, housing, YOS, Jobcentre Plus and electronic monitoring providers – are under a statutory duty to co-operate with the Responsible Authority in this work. National MAPPA Guidance (2009) further develops processes particularly with regard to young people who pose a risk and the role of YOS. Current National Guidelines on implementing MAPPA were introduced in April 2004 and updated guidelines are expected during the coming year.

6.13 Each area has a MAPPA Strategic Management Board (SMB) attended by senior representatives of each of the responsible authority and duty to co-operate agencies, plus two lay advisors. It is the role of the SMBs to ensure that the MAPPA are working effectively and to establish and maintain working relationships with the Local Safeguarding Children’s Boards (LSCBs). To provide consistency and a central awareness a Humberside Area Strategic Management Board is in place and comprises of lead officers from Police, Probation and Prison, representatives from a number of agencies with a “duty to Co-operate” and Lay Advisors.

6.14 MAPPA’s focus is on specified sexual and violent offenders in, and returning to the community, and its aims are to:

• ensure more comprehensive risk assessments are completed, taking advantage of co-ordinated information sharing across the agencies: and
• share information, assess and manage risk and direct the available resources to best protect the public from serious harm.

6.15 Offenders eligible for MAPPA are identified and information is gathered / shared about them across relevant agencies. The extent to which they pose a risk of serious harm is assessed and a risk management plan is implemented to protect the public.

6.16 Humberside has a Co-ordinator which is a joint police and probation secondment and s/he is supported by, in North East Lincolnshire, a Probation Officer seconded to the MAPPA who covers North and North East Lincolnshire and a local co-ordinator in the probation field office. The Area MAPPA Co-ordinator, supported by local co-ordinators in probation field offices works closely with the police Risk Management Officers attached to the police divisional Family Protection Units and can be contacted directly or via any of the local co-ordinators (contact details can be found at the end of this section) or police risk management officers. Referrals to MAPPA or any queries in regard to the appropriateness of referrals should be made to any of the above contacts.

6.17 The national MAPPA guidance and area annual MAPPA Reports, which describe how the arrangements are working locally and include examples of case studies, are available on the Probation Website.

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Identification of MAPPA Eligible Offenders

6.18 Not all offenders are covered by the Multi Agency Public Protection Arrangements so effective multi-agency public protection needs to start with the efficient identification of those relevant offenders. Prompt and accurate identification then allows all agencies to gather and share relevant information and choose the appropriate risk management strategies.

6.19 MAPPA applies to certain categories of individuals who are currently being dealt with for a specified sexual or violent offence. In the main these offenders are registered sex offenders, i.e. those convicted or cautioned for certain sexual offences who are required to register with the police, or violent and other sex offenders who generally have received a sentence of imprisonment of 12 months or more and will be supervised in the community by the probation service or the youth offending service teams.

6.19 These offenders fall into two categories formally defined as;

• Category 1: registered sexual offenders, i.e. sexual offenders who are required to notify the police of their name, address and other personal details and notify any changes subsequently.
• Category 2: offenders sentenced to imprisonment/detention for 12 months or more, or detained under hospital orders (in relation to murder or offences specified in schedule 15 of the Criminal Justice Act 2003). This category also includes a small number of sexual offenders who do not qualify for registration and offenders disqualified from working with children.

6.20 In addition, the MAPPA applies to those individuals who do not qualify under categories 1 or 2 but who currently pose a risk of serious harm. There is a link between the offending and the risk posed and they require active multi - agency management. Referrals in regard to this type of offender can and do arise from any of the agencies involved in MAPPA

6.21 This group of offenders are defined as

• Category 3: The inclusion of these offenders under MAPPA is based on two considerations. First it must be established that the individual has a conviction for an offence which indicates they are capable of causing serious harm to the public. Secondly it must be reasonably considered that they may pose a current risk of serious harm to the public.

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Sharing of relevant information

6.22 Exchange of information is essential for effective public protection. The MAPPA guidance details how MAPPA agencies may/should exchange information amongst themselves to better manage offenders. It also explains why and how information may be disclosed to those not involved in the MAPPA management of the offender. The expectation is that information on offenders will be disclosed to others – for example, partners, employers, schools – where this is required to manage the risk posed by the offender.

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ViSOR

6.23 ViSOR (Violent Offender and Sex Offender Register) is a national database which currently carries details of MAPPA eligible offenders and other potentially dangerous individuals. The police have been using it sine 2005 and probation services and prisons have had access since 2008-2009. The benefit is that, for the first time, all three responsible authority agencies can access the same IT system, thus improving the quality and timeliness of risk assessments and of interventions to prevent offending.

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Assessment of the risk of serious harm

6.24 The National Offender Management Service (NOMS) assesses risk of serious harm using the Offender Assessment System (OASys) supplemented by additional assessment procedures, depending on the nature of the offending and the specific risks identified. The Youth Justice Board use ASSET for under eighteen year olds. The levels of risk are as follows:

• Low: Current evidence does not indicate a likelihood of causing serious harm:
• Medium: There are identifiable indicators of risk of serious harm. The offender has the potential to cause serious harm, but is unlikely to do so unless there is a change of circumstances (e.g. failure to take medication, loss of accommodation, relationship breakdown, drug or alcohol misuse).
• High: There are identifiable indicators of risk of serious harm. The potential event could happen at any time and the impact would be serious.
• Very high: There is an imminent risk of harm. The potential event is more likely than not to happen imminently and the impact would be serious.

6.25 Risk is categorised by reference to the potential subject of that harm. This includes children who may be vulnerable to harm of various kinds, including violent or sexual behaviour, emotional harm or neglect. In this context, MAPPA will work closely with LSCBs to ensure the best, local joint arrangements can be made for any individual child being considered by either setting.

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Managing Risk of Serious Harm

6.23 Through MAPPA the Responsible Authority seeks to ensure that strategies to address risk are identified and plans developed, implemented and reviewed on a regular basis. Those plans include action to monitor the behaviour and attitudes of the offender and to intervene in to address risk are identified and plans developed, implemented and reviewed on a regular basis. Those plans include action to monitor the behaviour and attitudes of the offender and to intervene in their life in order to control and minimise the risk of serious harm to others.

6.24 In most cases a MAPPA eligible offender will be managed without recourse to MAPPA meetings under the ordinary arrangements applied by the agency or agencies with supervisory responsibility. This will generally be the police for registered sexual offenders (category 1) who are not on a licence to probation, and probation for sexual and violent offenders (categories 1 and 2) who are on licence. The Youth Offending Service will lead with young offenders and Mental Health Services with those on hospital orders.

6.25 Under the MAPPA framework there are three levels at which relevant offenders are managed, to enable resources to be deployed in the most efficient and effective manner. Offenders will be moved up and down levels as appropriate. Although generally the higher the assessed level of risk the higher the level of management required this need not always be the case. The risk management structure is based on the principle that cases should be managed at the lowest level consistent with providing a defensible risk management plan.
The three levels are;

• Level 1: Ordinary Agency Management

This is when the offenders are subject to the usual management arrangements applied by whichever agency is supervising them. It does not rule out information sharing between agencies, via ViSOR and other routes. The majority of offenders supervised by the police or the probation services or the Youth Offending Service will be managed at this level

• Level 2: Active Multi-Agency Management

This is when the risk management plan for the offender requires the active involvement of several agencies via regular meetings. Locally these are known as Local Risk Management Meetings (LRMM) which take place every month. They are attended by core members from the police, probation service and several “duty to co-operate” agencies: eg Children and Family Services, Community Forensic Mental Health team. In addition, representatives from agencies relevant to the offender and the risk of serious harm s/he presents are invited to share information and, where possible, contribute to the risk management plan.

• Level 3: Active Multi-Agency Management

This level deals with those “critical few” cases which are assessed as being a high or very high risk of causing serious harm; AND they present risks that can only be managed by a plan which requires close co-operation at a senior level due to the complexity of the case and/or because of the unusual resource commitments required. Meetings at this level are held fortnightly at Humberside Probation Trust Head Office in Beverley.

6.26 Additionally, cases which may not be assessed at high or very high risk can also be managed at level 3. These are exceptional because of the high likelihood of media scrutiny and/or public interest in the management of the case and there is a need to ensure that public confidence in the criminal justice system is maintained.

6.27 The two levels of meetings held under MAPPA result in clear actions which feed into the risk management plans laying down specific objectives for the management of the risk the offender presents. Responsibilities and tasks are clearly defined and firm timetables established. The plan needs to be able to deal with changing circumstances of the case and should ensure that all appropriate restraints on the offender are put in place.

6.28 The Youth Offending Service has a duty to identify cases that meet MAPPA criteria and make appropriate referrals. However, the guidance emphasises that young people should be assessed and managed differently from adults using age appropriate assessment tools and always bearing in mind the need to safeguard the welfare of the young offenders as well as to protect others from harm. Children’s Social Care services should always be represented at MAPPA meetings when a young person is being discussed.

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Other Processes and Mechanisms

Multi Agency Risk Assessment Conference (MARAC)

6.29 A MARAC is a multi-agency meeting which has the safety of high risk victims of domestic abuse as its focus. The identification of high risk victims has been made possible by the use of a risk identification tool266, for use across a wide range of agencies. This has permitted practitioners, both within and outside of the criminal justice system, to identify high risk victims of domestic abuse. As a result many more high risk victims are being identified and, in response, the MARAC is being rolled out across England and Wales with a view to meeting this need.

6.30 The MARAC is a process involving the participation of all the key statutory and voluntary agencies who might be involved in supporting a victim of domestic abuse. This includes those from the criminal justice system, those supporting children, those from the health service, the local authority, housing, substance misuse and, critically, specialist domestic violence services most frequently in the form of an Independent Domestic Violence Advisor (IDVA). The IDVA is a specialist caseworker who receives accredited training to work with high risk victims of domestic abuse from the point of crisis and whose focus is very much on the MARAC.

6.31 Locally MARACs are co-ordinated by North East Lincolnshire’s domestic abuse co-ordinator and an MARAC administrator.

6.32 At a typical MARAC meeting 15 to 20 high risk cases are discussed in half a day with a very brief and focused information sharing process followed by a simple multi-agency action plan being put into place to support the victim and to make links with other public protection procedures, particularly safeguarding children, vulnerable adults and, of course, the management of perpetrators.

6.33 It is important to understand the MARAC meeting as part of a wider process which hinges on the early involvement and support from an IDVA and continued specialist case management, both before and after the meeting. The MARAC should combine the best of specialist support together with the co-ordination of the generic agencies whose resources and involvement will be needed to keep victims and their children safe.

6.34 Where an offender is being managed at MAPPA Level 2 or Level 3, to avoid duplication of effort and resources, the MAPP meeting should take the lead over the MARAC. The reason for this is that the MAPPA is a statutory set of arrangements and therefore it takes precedence over the MARAC.

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Offending Behaviour Programmes

6.35 Rehabilitation of offenders is the best guarantee of long-term public protection. A range of independently accredited treatment programmes which have been developed or commissioned by the NOMS, have been ‘tired and tested’ at a national level. Examples include sex offender treatment programmes, programmes for offenders convicted of internet-related sexual offences, and programmes for perpetrators of domestic abuse.

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The Vetting and Barring Scheme

6.36 The Vetting and Barring Scheme (VBS) aims to ensure that unsuitable people do not work with children, whether in paid employment or on a voluntary basis. The scheme comprises:

6.37 Two barred lists, maintained by the Independent Safeguarding Authority (ISA).

• One list comprises persons barred from working with children, and the other is for persons barred from working with vulnerable adults. From 12 October 2009 these lists replaced the list held under section 142 of the Education Act 2002 known as ‘List 99’, the list held under the Protection of Children Act 1999 and the list held under the Protection of Vulnerable Adults Scheme. It is a criminal offence for a barred person to engage in ‘regulated activity’ (see below) or for an employer knowingly to engage a barred person to carry out such work; and
• a register of those wishing to work with vulnerable groups. Except where there is a specific exception, from November 2010 all new entrants to the children’s workforce will be required to register with the Scheme before being allowed to engage in any relevant duties. From this date, it will be a criminal offence for anyone entering the sector to work in regulated activity or for an organisation to allow a non-registered individual to do so. Registration for existing workers will be phased in over the period 2011-2015, and employers will be expected to facilitate the registration, at the appropriate time, of staff that carry out regulated activity. Guidance on the coverage of the scheme, on the exceptions from registration and on phasing will be made available on the ISA website.

6.38 Since October 2009, the duties to refer concerns regarding individuals under List 99 and the Protection of Children Act 1999 were replaced with a duty to refer information to the ISA. The circumstances where a referral must be made are where:

• an individual has been removed from ’regulated activity’ (or would or might have been removed if they had not already left); and
• the employer/volunteer manager thinks that ’relevant conduct’ has occurred, or the individual poses a risk of harm.

6.39 The duties to refer and to provide information to the ISA on request are placed on regulated activity providers and certain other bodies, including local authorities in their children’s services and adult social care capacities. Failure by regulated activity providers to carry out the duty is a criminal offence. Compliance by local authorities is subject to local government performance management systems. ‘Regulated activity’ is defined in guidance on the ISA’s website.

6.40 ‘Relevant conduct’ is defined as:

• conduct which endangers a child or is likely to endanger a child;
• conduct which, if repeated against or in relation to a child, would endanger that child or would be likely to endanger him;
• conduct involving sexual material relating to children (including possession of such material);
• conduct involving sexually explicit images depicting violence against human beings (including possession of such images), if it appears to the Independent Safeguarding Authority that the conduct is inappropriate; or
• conduct of a sexual nature involving a child, if it appears to the ISA that the conduct is inappropriate.

6.41 The new barred lists will in time replace the regime of disqualification orders imposed by the courts under the Criminal Justice and Court Services Act 2000 (CJCSA), as amended by the Criminal Justice Act 2003. Until the VBS is fully phased in, individuals working with children could be either barred or subject to disqualification orders. Either way, they must be removed from such work and commit an offence if they carry out such work.

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Criminal Records Bureau (CRB)

6.42 The Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) is an executive agency of the Home Office. The CRB’s Disclosure service aims to help employers make safer recruitment decisions by identifying candidates who may be unsuitable for certain types of work. Employers should ask successful candidates to apply to the CRB for a Standard or Enhanced Disclosure, depending on the duties of the particular position or job involved. In other cases, employers are eligible to ask for disclosures. Relevant sectoral guidance sets out the requirements and eligibility in detail.

6.43 In addition to information about a person’s criminal record, enhanced disclosures supplied in connection with work with children contain details of whether a person is registered with the ISA, or barred. It should be noted that barred status is no longer shown on a standard disclosure. Enhanced disclosures may contain details of acquittals or other non-conviction information held on local police records, relevant to the position or post for which the person has been selected, and the police may also provide additional information to employers in a separate letter. Further information, including details of how to apply for disclosures, is available on the CRB website.

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The Sex Offender Register

6.45 The notification requirements of Part 2 of the Sexual Offences Act 2003 (known as the Sex Offenders Register) are an automatic requirement on offenders who receive a conviction or caution for certain sexual offences. The notification requirements are intended to ensure that the police are informed of the whereabouts of offenders in the community. The notification requirements do not bar offenders from certain types of employment, from being alone with children etc.

6.46 Offenders must notify the police of certain personal details within three days of their conviction or caution for a relevant sexual offence (or, if they are in prison on this date, within three days of their release.)

6.47 Such an offender must then notify the police, within three days, of any change to the notified details and whenever they spend 7 days or more at another address.

6.48 All offenders must reconfirm their details at least once every twelve months and notify the police, 7 days in advance of any travel overseas for a period of 3 days or more.

6.49 The period of time that an offender must comply with these requirements depends on whether they received a conviction or caution for their offence and, where appropriate, the sentence they received.

6.50 Failure to comply with these requirements is a criminal offence with a maximum penalty of 5 year’s imprisonment. The police should be contacted if such an offence is committed.

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Notification Order

6.51 Notification Orders are intended to ensure that British citizens or residents, as well as foreign nationals, can be made subject to the notification requirements (the Sex Offenders Register) in the UK if they receive convictions or cautions for sexual offences overseas.

6.52 Notification Orders are made on application from the police to a Magistrates’ Court. Therefore, if an offender is identified who has received a conviction or caution for a sexual offence overseas the case should be referred to the local police for action.

6.53 If a Notification Order is in force then the offender becomes subject to the requirements of Sex Offender Registration

6.54 For example: a Notification Order could ensure that the notification requirements will apply to a British man who, while on holiday in South East Asia, received a caution for a sexual offence on a child.

6.55 Any information that an individual has received a conviction or caution for a sexual offence overseas should, where appropriate, be shared with the police.

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Sexual Offences Prevention Orders (SOPOs)

6.56 Introduced by the Sexual Offences Act 2003, SOPOs are civil preventative orders designed to protect the public from serious sexual harm. A court may make a SOPO when it deals with an offender who has received a conviction for an offence listed at Schedule 3 (sexual offences), or Schedule 5 (violent and other offences), to the Act who is assessed as posing a risk of serious sexual harm. Also, the police can apply for a SOPO to a Magistrates’ court in respect of an offender who has a previous conviction or caution for a Schedule 3 or 5 offence who poses a risk of serious sexual harm.

6.57 SOPOs include such prohibitions, as the court considers appropriate. For example, a child sex offender who poses a risk of serious sexual harm could be prohibited from loitering near schools or playgrounds. The offender will also, if s/he isn’t already, become subject to the notification requirements for the duration of the order.

6.58 SOPOs can be made on application from the police, so any violent or sex offender who poses a risk of serious sexual harm should be referred to MAPPA agencies and the police in particular. In an application for an order the police can set out the prohibitions they would like the court to consider.

6.59 Breach of any of the prohibitions in a SOPO is a criminal offence with a maximum punishment of 5 years’ imprisonment. Therefore, the police should be contacted whenever a SOPO is breached.

6.60 SOPO’s can be particularly helpful in the management of sex offenders who are assessed as continuing to pose a high risk of harm but are no longer subject to statutory supervision.

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Risk of Sexual Harm Orders (RSHOs)

6.61 Introduced by the Sexual Offences Act 2003, RSHOs are civil preventative orders used to protect children from the risks posed by individuals who do not necessarily have a previous conviction for a sexual or violent offence but who have, on at least two occasions, engaged in sexually explicit conduct or communication with a child or children and who pose a risk of further such harm. For a RSHO to be made it is not necessary for there to be a risk that the defendant will commit a sexual offence against a child – the risk may be that s/he intends to communicate with children in a sexually explicit way. The RSHO can contain such prohibitions, as the court considers necessary. For example, an adult could be found regularly communicating with young children in a sexual way in Internet chat rooms. A RSHO could be used to prohibit the person from using the Internet in order to stop him/her from such harmful activity.

6.62 RSHOs are made on application from the police, so any person who is thought to pose a risk of sexual harm to children should be referred to the police. In an application for an order the police can set out the prohibitions they would like the court to consider.

6.63 Breach of any of the prohibitions in a RSHO is a criminal offence with a maximum punishment of 5 years’ imprisonment. It is also an offence, which makes the offender subject to the notification requirements (see above). The police should be contacted whenever a RSHO is breached.

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Violent Offender Orders (VOOs)

6.64 Violent Offender Orders (VOOs) are civil preventative orders that came into effect on 3 August 2009 (contained in Part 7 of the Criminal Justice and Immigration Act 2008). VOO were developed as a tool to help the Police Service to manage those offenders who continue to pose a risk of serious violent harm to the public even after their release from prison or when their licence has ceased. Although not specifically designed as a tool to protect children, there may be circumstances where VOOs would be an appropriate mechanism to manage an individual who poses a serious risk of harm to children.

6.65 VOOs are available on application by a chief officer of police to a Magistrates’ Court and, if granted, will contain such restrictions, prohibitions or conditions authorised by Section 102 of the Act as the court considers necessary to protect the public from the risk of serious violent harm caused by the offender. This may include prohibiting their access to certain places, premises, events or people to whom they pose the highest risk.

6.66 Breach of any of the prohibitions, restrictions or conditions contained in a VOO without reasonable excuse is a criminal offence, with a maximum punishment of five years’ imprisonment.

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Local MAPPA Contact List

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