Location: This role requires attendance at quarterly MAPPA Strategic Management Board Meetings, Level 2 and 3 MAPPA meetings and other occasional events across the Thames Valley Area (Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire and Berkshire) with an anticipated commitment averaging out of 4-6 hours per month.  Own transport is required.

This is an opportunity to make a real contribution to Public Protection within your community and gain significant experience of multi-agency working at an operational and strategic level. We are seeking applicants with a strong sense of community, positive value base and an open mind to act as a ‘critical friend’ within MAPPA and support wider governance of these arrangements within Thames Valley.

‘MAPPA’ stands for ‘Multi-Agency Public Protection Arrangements’. These arrangements are designed to protect the public (including previous victims of crime) from serious harm by sexual and violent offenders. MAPPA arrangements require the local criminal justice agencies and other bodies dealing with offenders to work together in partnership in managing these offenders.

Lay Advisors fulfil an essential role within the MAPPA process. They are not expected to become experts, but act as informed observers and as posers of questions that the professionals closely involved in the work might not necessarily think of asking. It is important that the Lay Advisor has strong and sustained connection with the community that they will be representing and therefore, applications are sought from residents of the Thames Valley area. Lay Advisors will be committed to recognising and valuing diversity, ensuring inclusiveness, equality and fairness in the treatment of people in all aspects of MAPPA.

The Lay Advisor role is voluntary, part-time (up to 8 hours per month). Training will be provided and expenses met.

Person Specification:

• No formal educational qualifications are necessary but must be able to understand complex information in written and numerical form.
• Interest in community and social issues, preferably with a track record of involvement in them.
• Capacity for emotional resilience, retaining sensitivity whilst dealing with tragic or painful human situations. In particular, this includes an ability to understand the needs and feelings of both victims and offenders.
• Good social skills.
• Able to work effectively with people in groups and in formal meetings.
• An awareness of and commitment to equality and diversity.
• Able to challenge, constructively, the views and assumptions of senior professionals.
• Able to maintain confidentiality appropriate to the circumstances and local protocols.

 Lay Advisor Activities:

• Attend each Strategic Management Board (SMB) meeting.
• Contribute to the monitoring and evaluation of the operation of MAPPA in Thames Valley Area
• Attend a level 2 or 3 MAPP meeting quarterly, to assist in understanding the process and to enabling the monitoring and evaluation of MAPPA.
• Confirm that the SMB has created effective links with other multi-agency forums, e.g. the Local Criminal Justice Board and the Local Safeguarding Children Boards.
• Assist in the preparation of the MAPPA annual report.
• Participate in any SMB sub-groups, working parties or projects (including serious case reviews).
• Participate in reviewing the SMB Business Plan and broader communication strategy.
• Participate in reviewing and questioning local MAPPA statistics.
• Attend local and regional events with the agreement of the Responsible Authority (Police, Probation, Prison Service).

Additional Information:

In order to preserve the lay status of those who are appointed to the role, certain people are ineligible for appointment, including MPs, local authority councillors (from Thames Valley), MOJ/Home Office employees or anyone already operating in MAPPA in a professional capacity.

The closing date for this role is 30/11/2019.