MAPPA Lay Advisor Kent
- Body
- National Probation Service
- Appointing Department
- Ministry of Justice
- Sector
- Judicial, Prison & Policing
- Location
- Requires attendance at quarterly MAPPA Strategic Management Board Meetings, Level 2 and 3 MAPPA meetings and other occasional events across Kent, with an anticipated commitment averaging out at 4 -6 hours per month. Own Transport is required.
- Number of Vacancies
- 1
- Remuneration
- This is a part-time unpaid post (expenses paid).
- Time Requirements
- Be able to provide up to 8 hours a month but not more than 16 hours per month to the SMB.
- Closing Date
- 23/07/2018 1700
- Interviews
- W/C 10th September 2018
Vacancy Description
Attend each Strategic Management Board (SMB) meeting. Contribute to the monitoring and evaluation of the operation of MAPPA in Kent Attend a level 2 or 3 MAPP meeting quarterly, to assist in understanding the process and to enable 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. Participate in reviewing the SMB Business Plan. Participate in reviewing and questioning local MAPPA statistics. Attend local and regional events with the agreement of the Responsible Authority (Police, Probation, Prison Service).
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.
Additional Information
Eligibility Criteria
Applicants must be resident within Kent. In exceptional circumstances they may, live just outside Kent, but must still be able to demonstrate strong and sustained connections with the communities within Kent.
In order to preserve the “lay” status of those who are appointed to the role, there are certain categories of people who are ineligible for appointment due to their current or previous experience. These comprise:
• Members of Parliament or the Welsh Assembly;
• Local Authority Councillors; where the MAPPA is within their area of councillor responsibility
• Civil Servants at the Home Office or Ministry of Justice.
• Members of staff currently employed in any Criminal Justice Agency whose paid employment involves working with offenders that fall within the remit of MAPPA. A similar exclusion may apply to voluntary work where the primary focus is with MAPPA offenders, such as sexual offenders.
In addition to the above criteria ineligibility for this role would include:
• Anyone whose personal or family circumstances may give rise to a conflict of interest with the duties and responsibilities of the MAPPA role.
• Lay Advisers who have served two terms in any area (by this time they may no longer be sufficiently independent).
• Please note that the role of Lay Advisor will require security vetting and the commission of some offences will exclude the applicant from the Lay Advisor role.
Lay Advisers need to be independent of the MAPPA organisations with which they work. Otherwise it will be difficult to challenge the thinking of the professionals in the criminal justice agencies and duty to co-operate agencies.
How to Apply
Please request an application pack by e mail to ‘SEENPS.Kent.MAPPA@probation.gsi.gov.uk’. Please state e mail or postal address to which pack should be sent.