Public Protection Arrangements Northern Ireland (PPANI) PDF

Public Protection PPS14 Public Protection Arrangements Northern Ireland (PPANI) Introduction The Criminal Justice Order (NI) 2008 created the Public Protection Arrangements for Northern Ireland (PPANI). PPANI is not in an organisation, but a set of arrangements...

Public Protection PPS14 Public Protection Arrangements Northern Ireland (PPANI) Introduction The Criminal Justice Order (NI) 2008 created the Public Protection Arrangements for Northern Ireland (PPANI). PPANI is not in an organisation, but a set of arrangements which require all statutory agencies with responsibility for child protection and criminal justice to work together to protect the public, providing effective risk assessment and risk management of the risks posed by certain sexual and violent offenders. On a ‘day to day’ basis, the ‘core’ agencies contributing to PPANI include:  The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI)  The Probation Board for Northern Ireland (PBNI)  The Northern Ireland Prison Service (NIPS)  Health & Social Care Trusts (HSCTs)  Northern Ireland Housing Executive (NIHE) Other agencies who are signatories to the arrangements include:  Youth Justice Agency  Department of Education  Department for Employment & Learning  Department of Health, Social Services & Public Safety  Department for Communities  NSPCC OFFICIAL [PUBLIC] Page 277 The agencies listed above work together, within the Public Protection Arrangements, to decide how best to minimise the likelihood of offenders committing further offences or causing serious harm to the public. The primary purpose of the assessment and management of risk from sex offenders and violent offender is to help protect the public form serious harm by reducing their opportunity and/or motivation to re-offend. Certain categories of offenders are identified through statutory guidance and information about individuals falling within those categories is gathered and shared across relevant agencies. The nature and level of the risk of harm they pose is assessed and, where necessary, a risk management plan is implemented to protect the public. In all cases, the offender will be managed under the statutory responsibilities of the relevant responsible agencies. However, a number of offenders will require multi-agency management and their risk management plans will be developed and monitored via multi-agency Local Area Public Protection Panels (LAPPPs). Offender case management and offender management are the statutory responsibilities of agencies such as the Probation Board for Northern Ireland and the Northern Ireland Prison Service. The Public Protection arrangements should complement rather than attempt to replace these responsibilities. Criteria for Inclusion & Assessment within PPANI 1. Persons who are subject to the notification requirements of Part 2 of the Sexual Offences Act 2003 2. Persons who have from 6.10.2008 been convicted of a violent offence (including homicide) against a child or vulnerable adult 3. Persons who from 1.4.2010 have been convicted of a violent offence (including homicide) in domestic or family circumstances OFFICIAL [PUBLIC] Page 278  4. Persons who from 1.9.2011 have been convicted of a violent offence (including homicide) where the offence has been aggravated by hostility and for which the person received an enhanced sentence. 5. Persons subject to a risk of Sexual Harm Order (RSHO) and as consequence Notification Requirements under part 2 of the Sexual Offences Act 2003. Additionally referrals can be made in respect of individuals who have a previous conviction for an eligible offence pre-dating the introduction of PPANI and about whom agencies have ‘current significant concerns’. Referral Process: N.B. it is important to highlight that practitioners from all PPANI agencies can submit PPANI Referrals. All referrals must be completed using the PPANI Referral Form (Appendix 1) and forwarded securely to the PSNI PPANI Links Team secure email address: [email protected]. Referral Forms are not required post-conviction in respect of Registered Sex Offenders (RSOs), as the PPANI Links Team receive automatic notification from the ViSOR Management Unit. Likewise, the ViSOR Management Unit will receive notification from other UK Police Forces concerning PPANI/MAPPA offenders moving jurisdictions. For those RSOs serving custodial sentences a PPANI referral Form is required to be submitted at least three months prior to the offenders earliest date of release to trigger a pre-release LAPPP. PSNI Investigating Officers have responsibility for submitting a PPANI Referral Form post-conviction in respect of violent offenders. The PPANI Links Team are tasked with assessing all referrals to make sure they comply with the criteria set out above. OFFICIAL [PUBLIC] Page 279 The Referral Form must be fully completed and contain evidence as to how the referral meets the criteria set out at Section 3.1. Guidance Notes on completing the PPANI Referral Form are provided below. Referrers should note that the PPANI Referral Form alone contains the information and evidence which the PPANI Links Team will use to determine eligibility for inclusion in PPANI. Evidence must be provided within the Referral Form evidencing as to how the case meets the criteria for inclusion, including how Serious Harm is met and in respect of current Significant Concerns criteria clearly detail the current concerns. Referrers should contact the PPANI Links Team prior to submitting a referral to establish whether a previous referral has been made. Where a referral has previously been made, PPANI Links will forward a copy of the previous referral. This additional information may assist referrers in evidencing that the threshold for inclusion has been met. Referrers should liaise with other PPANI agencies when completing a PPANI referral as partner agencies may hold additional information which could support the referral. Referrers should also note that all referrals are potentially disclosable, including in a court of law; therefore the PPANI Referral Form must evidence how the case meets the Serious Harm definition. In cases where the PPANI Links Team have concluded that the referral does not meet the eligibility criteria in terms of offence or the serious harm threshold and the referral source disagrees with this decision the following process should apply:  In the first instance the Line Manager of the referrer will contact the PPANI Links Team Executive Officer for clarification and resolution at that stage.  If resolution is not reached, the referrer then contacts the PPANI Coordinator and requests that a referral meeting be convened. OFFICIAL [PUBLIC] Page 280   Should any additional information become available prior to the Referral Meeting the Referral Agency should forward this information to the PPANI Links Team as this additional information may prevent the need to hold a Referral Meeting.  The referral meeting is chaired by the PPANI Coordinator with all the information made available to all concerned by the referrer. In the event of the referral agency and the PPANI Links team not agreeing on the appropriateness of a referral, at the referral meeting, the PPANI Coordinator is to make the final decision on the appropriateness of the referral. Following acceptance of a referral, the offender’s case is discussed at a Local Area Public Protection Panel (LAPPP). LAPPPs are the multi-agency forum tasked with the operational delivery of the Public Protection Arrangements. Following risk assessment at a LAPPP a Category of Risk is assigned - Category 1, Category 2 or Category 3 (Category 3 posing the most serious risk).This allows agencies to make the best use of time/ resources and concentrate efforts towards those who pose the greatest risk. Category 1 (No requirement for multi-agency intervention – this category refers to those cases where the offender has either been set a Category 1 following initial review or re- categorised downwards to Category 1 and subsequently removed from the arrangements) ‘Someone whose previous offending and/or current behaviour and/or current circumstances present little evidence that they could cause serious harm through carrying out a PPANI eligible offence’. Category 2 (Requirement for multi-agency intervention – reviewed every 16 weeks) ‘Someone whose previous offending, and/or current behaviour and/or current circumstances present clear and identifiable evidence that they could cause serious harm through carrying out a PPANI eligible offence’. OFFICIAL [PUBLIC] Page 281 Category 3 (Requirement for intense/focused multi-agency intervention – reviewed every 16 weeks) ‘Someone whose previous offending, and/or current behaviour and/or current circumstances present clear and identifiable evidence that they are highly likely to cause serious harm through carrying out a PPANI eligible offence’. Procedures – Guidance Notes re completion of a PPANI REFERRAL FORM (Revised June 2022) Section 1. OFFENDER INFORMATION Please complete fully. Referrers should attempt to source all relevant information. If information cannot be sourced record N/K. Section 2. TYPE OF OFFENDER The Current Significant Concerns criterion relates primarily to the re-referral of individual offenders previously categorised or re-categorised as Category 1 within the PPANI arrangements, and whose current behaviour has raised current significant concerns for agencies. However, there may be exceptional circumstances where an offender whose relevant PPANI offending history pre-dates the introduction of the arrangements of PPANI in 2008. In these circumstances, agencies may submit referral under the current significant concerns criteria. Section 3.REFERRING AGENCY INFORMATION Please complete fully. OFFICIAL [PUBLIC] Page 282 Section 4. CONVICTION / CAUTION INFORMATION Index Offence/Relevant Caution - In this section agencies submitting referrals should provide a succinct outline of the offenders PPANI eligible Index Offence – lengthy accounts of offence details should not be ‘cut & pasted’ from case depositions/agency records. Agencies submitting referrals should note that the PPANI Index Offence relates to the conviction for the qualifying PPANI offence, which brought the individual offender into the arrangements. The PPANI Index Offence will always be the qualifying PPANI Offence, even where there are further convictions for PPANI eligible offences. Prison based practitioners please note; the qualifying PPANI Index offence may not necessarily be the offence related to the offender’s current custodial sentence. The date of the index offence should always be included. Section 5. REASON FOR REFERRAL It is sufficient to detail how the offender meets the criteria outlined in Section 3.1 of the PPANI Manual of Practice. Section 6. VICTIM CONCERNS Please provide a summary of any relevant victim issues, including name, DOB and contact details. Section 7. SAFEGUARDING Please complete where relevant. This should include details of any referrals to Social Services e.g. UNOCINI, Form 0 for PSNI etc. OFFICIAL [PUBLIC] Page 283  Child Protection Concerns Where applicable please summarise any child protection concerns e.g. Child Sexual Exploitation. Full details re names/DoB’s are required.  Vulnerable Adult Concerns Where applicable please summarise any vulnerable adult concerns. Full details re names/DoB’s are required. Has the Victim been subject to MARAC? Where applicable – dates of MARAC Referral/Outcomes required. Please confirm through Trust Offender Investigation Units. OFFICIAL [PUBLIC] Page 284