MAPPA Lay Advisor

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Forcewide- Avon and Somerset area
Please note, if this is a paid role and the role is part time then the salary quoted will be pro rata based on the hours worked per annum.  

28/10/2020, 23:55

Avon and Somerset Strategic Management Board are seeking to recruit a Lay Adviser to ensure that the effectiveness of Multi Agency Public Protection Arrangements are monitored and support any changes made in order to bring about improvement.

Lay Advisers will operate as full members of the area's Strategic Management Board (SMB), participating in the SMB itself and any relevant sub-groups or working parties. Lay Advisers are voluntary public appointments and are unpaid.

Section 326 of the Criminal Justice Act 2003 requires the Minister to appoint two Lay Advisers to each Responsible Authority (RA) area. Areas may have more than two Lay Advisers at the Minister's discretion. The Act makes clear that Lay Advisers are appointed to be consulted in the respect of the review of MAPPA functions.

A Lay Adviser must be able to provide up to 8 hours a month to the SMB. Any additional time worked should be agreed with the SMB through the MAPPA Co-ordinator. Lay Advisers should not be expected to provide more than 16 hours per month and may not work as a Lay Adviser full time.

A Lay Adviser must be able to attend each SMB meeting and attend at least one Level 2 or 3 MAPPA meeting each quarter, to help them understand the process and enable them to fulfil their task of monitoring and evaluating MAPPA.

A Lay Adviser will:

·         Contribute to the monitoring and evaluation of the operation of MAPPA in their area.

·         Act as a critical friend in challenging professionals.

·         Participate in reviewing the SMB Business Plan and broader communication strategy.

·         Confirm that the SMB has created effective links with other multi-agency forums, e.g. local Community Safety Partnerships, Criminal Justice Boards, Safeguarding Children Boards and Safeguarding Adults Boards.

·         Support the SMB to ensure that MAPPA adhere to the duties under equalities legislation.

·         Participate in any SMB sub-groups, working parties or projects.

·         Participate in reviewing and questioning local MAPPA statistics.

·         Assist in the preparation of the MAPPA annual report.

·         Attend local and regional events with the agreement of the RA.

·         Immediately declare any conflict or perceived conflict of interest if a particular discussion within MAPPA covers an area or issue that they are involved in personally or professionally.

Confidentiality

A Lay Adviser will not:

·         Disclose any information given to them in confidence as members of the SMB, or any other information acquired by them in that role that they believe to be of a confidential nature, without the consent of a person authorised to give it or unless required to do so by law.

·         Disclose any information that they receive during the course of being a visitor to any criminal justice premises or at meetings, such as level 2 and 3 MAPPA meetings.

Equality

 A Lay Adviser will:

·         Recognise and value diversity by ensuring inclusiveness, equality and fairness in the treatment of people in all aspects of MAPPA. They must ensure that they do not discriminate against individuals because of their protected characteristics (age, disability, sex, sexual orientation, gender reassignment, race, religion or belief, marriage & civil partnership, pregnancy & maternity) or for any other reason.

Is this the role for you? Person Specification

A Lay Adviser must:

·         Be able to understand complex information in written and numerical form, although they do not need any formal qualifications.

·         Be interested in community and social issues, preferably with a history of involvement in them.

·         Be able to make decisions based on and supported by the available information.

·         Demonstrate a capacity for emotional resilience, retaining sensitivity whilst dealing with tragic or painful human situations.

·         Understand the needs and feelings of both victims and offenders.

·         Be able to work effectively with people in groups and informal meetings.

·         Have an awareness of, and commitment to, equality and diversity.

·         Be able to challenge constructively the views and assumptions of senior professionals.

·         Be able to maintain confidentiality appropriate to the circumstances and local protocols.

 Lay Advisers need to be independent of the MAPPA organisations with which they work, otherwise it will be difficult for them to challenge the thinking of the professionals in the criminal justice and duty to co-operate agencies (see below for details). SMBs should make this clear in recruitment campaigns and explore any conflicts of interest that arise at interview.

In order to preserve the lay status of those who are appointed to the role, certain people are ineligible for appointment. These are:

·         members of Parliament or the Welsh Assembly;

·         local authority councillors, where MAPPA are within their area of councillor responsibility;

·         employees of RA agencies in operational roles or MAPPA related fields,

·         civil servants at the Home Office or Ministry of Justice.

Civil servants who work for other government departments may be appointed as Lay Advisers if the SMB feel there is no conflict of interest and they would be able to provide a lay perspective.

 Other categories who are likely to be deemed unsuitable are:

·         Anyone who is not resident within the RA area. In exceptional circumstances they may, at the discretion of the RA, live just outside the area, but they must still be able to demonstrate strong and sustained connections with the communities within the area.

·         Lay Advisers who have served two terms in any area (by this time they may no longer be sufficiently independent).

·         Anyone else whose paid employment specifically involves working with offenders who fall within the remit of MAPPA. A similar exclusion may apply to voluntary work where the primary focus is with MAPPA offenders.

·         Anyone whose personal or family circumstances may give rise to a conflict of interest with the duties and responsibilities of the MAPPA role.

·         Anyone who has been convicted of, or cautioned for, a relevant sexual or violent offence. Other previous convictions will not automatically bar someone from becoming a Lay Adviser, but individual consideration of the relevance (seriousness and how long ago) of any caution or conviction should be given to their suitability to undertake the role.

Please see attachments for further information about MAPPA. Please contact Mike Williams Avon and Somerset MAPPA Co-ordinator via e mail for further information:- 

 

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Important information before you commence an application (for external applicants)

You will require the following detail to complete this application form:

  • National Insurance Number
  • Identification Detail e.g. passport
  • Address information including proof 
  • Referee information
  • Full employment history including dates and any qualifications you may have attained
  •  Tattoos - you will also be requested to provide photos and describe of any visible tattoos you have

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This vacancy is closed to applications.