Standard - DTC agencies manage persons subject to MAPPA in line with their own policies and procedures and co-operate with MAPPA to the extent allowed by their statutory powers.

3.16 The following agencies have a DTC with MAPPA and may have a role to play in protecting the community from the risks presented by MAPPA managed individuals. This chapter provides a brief overview of what the agency does and how it works with people managed under MAPPA. See the appropriate chapter (where applicable) for more detailed guidance on how these agencies engage with MAPPA and fulfil their DTC.

1. Youth Justice Services (YJS)

3.17 YJSs are part of the local authority and help young people stay away from crime. YJSs differ from most other DTC agencies in that they have direct supervisory responsibility for children (anyone under the age of 18) who are in the community and subject to the sentence of the court, e.g. during the community element of a Detention and Training Order. YJSs are the lead agency for these individuals (see Chapter 3 - Responsible Authority and Lead Agency). YJSs also have a duty to co-operate with MAPPA when they are not the lead agency. This may include occasions when a child was previously managed by a YJS or when a co-defendant, victim or family member is managed by a YJS. See Chapter 23 - Children for more details.

2. Department for Work and Pensions (DWP)

3.18 The DWP is a ministerial department with responsibility for welfare, pensions and child maintenance policy. It has three primary functions in relation to those managed under MAPPA:

• To support individuals into employment or to access suitable training to reduce their risk of reoffending and protect the public.
• To ensure any restrictions on the types of employment and training available to some individuals are taken into account when considering employment and training options.
• To ensure that benefits, such as Universal Credit, are paid.

3.19 DWP will give persons subject to MAPPA the help and support they need to find and retain employment, help them lead law abiding lives, give them the opportunity to contribute positively to their local community and prevent them from accessing unsuitable employment and training that could put the public at risk of serious harm. See Chapter 21 - Accommodation and Employment for more information.

3.20 DWP have significant contact with many MAPPA managed individuals and the DTC covers all DWP functions, not just employment. DWP may be able to provide information on where an individual is living and who they are living with, what benefits they are claiming, such as carers allowance, child benefit or child maintenance, and changes to contact details.

3. Ministry of Defence

3.21 The Ministry of Defence (MoD) is a ministerial department with responsibility for armed forces personnel. They will be involved in the management of persons subject to MAPPA sentenced to service detention at the Military Corrective Training Centre (MCTC) and those who remain in the armed forces following conviction. The MoD will disclose information regarding persons subject to MAPPA at key points in their sentence and on release, including their behaviour in custody, any engagement in intervention programmes and employment or education related activities, and contact made with others, either in custody or the community. See Chapter 15 - Armed Forces for more information.

4. Education, social care and health functions of Local Authorities

Schools and colleges

3.22 Schools and colleges provide a helpful contribution to MAPPA by protecting pupils and staff and contributing to the management of pupils who are subject to MAPPA.

• They provide pupils with programmes of child protection awareness training. This training can be reinforced at times when there is a particular local risk.
• Their staff are well-placed to be alert and aware of local activities that could provide a threat to pupils.
• In particular situations, and with the authorisation of the police, they are able to warn individuals or groups of pupils, or staff, about possible dangers.
• They can provide a safe environment during the daytime for children and young people.
• They are often the first port of call for parents who want to voice their concerns about worrying activities in the area.

3.23 Every school and college should have a designated senior member of the leadership team to take lead responsibility for dealing with child safeguarding issues. The role and duties of the Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL) are set out in Department for Education Statutory Guidance: Keeping Children Safe in Education (KCSIE).

3.24 Independent schools, academies and free schools are not subject to the DTC (although they may be identified as Associate agencies). However, all schools are obliged to work with other agencies to safeguard children and keep children safe in education. These obligations are set out in DfE Statutory Guidance KCSIE and Working Together to Safeguard Children (WT).

3.25 The Data Protection Act 2018 and General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) do not prevent, or limit, the sharing of information by schools and colleges for the purposes of keeping children safe. Fears about sharing information must not be allowed to stand in the way of the need to promote the welfare, and protect the safety, of children. Early information sharing is vital for effective identification, assessment and allocation of appropriate service provision. Further guidance about data sharing can be found in KCSIE and WT.

Children's services

3.26 Local authorities have overarching responsibility for safeguarding and promoting the welfare of all children and young people in their area. The relevant part of the local authority may be known as Children's Services, Social Services, Children and Families Services, or another variation of these titles. In some local authorities, social services for children and adults are combined within one department. See Chapter 23 - Children for further details.

• They have a number of statutory functions under the 1989 and 2004 Children Acts, which include specific duties in relation to children in need and children suffering, or likely to suffer, significant harm, regardless of where they are found (Ss.17 and 47 of the Children Act 1989).
• Along with the police and health service, they are one of the three safeguarding partners responsible for the arrangements through which local agencies safeguard and promote the welfare of children (s. 16 of the Children and Social Work Act 2017). Other MAPPA agencies are expected to cooperate fully with arrangements specified by the safeguarding partners where regulations specify them as relevant agencies.
• They are the 'corporate parent' of looked after children. The corporate parenting principles, to which local authorities are expected to adhere, are set out in s.1 of the Children and Social Work Act 2017, including: acting in the best interests of and promoting the wellbeing of children and young people; and preparing them for adulthood and independent living.
• Local authorities retain responsibilities towards care leavers (former looked after children) until they are 25 and should offer services to support them in adulthood to support independent living. These can include services relating to health and well-being; relationships; education and training; employment; accommodation; and participation in society (see Chapter 23 - Children).
• In Wales, the Social Services and Well-being (Wales) Act 2014 places a duty on named agencies to inform a local authority if they suspect a child with care and support needs is experiencing or is at risk of experiencing abuse, neglect or other forms of harm.

3.27 Other statutory and practice guidance in relation to safeguarding and child protection includes:

• The Working Together to Safeguard Children statutory guidance, sets out how local services should work together to safeguard children, including identifying children in need, and children at risk of abuse or neglect, and assessing their needs.
• Information sharing advice for safeguarding practitioners helps practitioners and their managers decide when and how to share personal information for the purposes of safeguarding children legally and professionally.

Adult Social Care

3.28 The Care Act 2014 sets out the statutory framework for the provision of adult social care and for adult safeguarding in England, including the establishment of Safeguarding Adult Boards (SAB) in each local authority in England. It places a reciprocal duty on local authorities and relevant partners, including some MAPPA agencies, to co-operate with each other in respect of their relevant care and support functions. The aims of co-operation are to:

• promote the well-being of adults needing care and support, and of their carers;
• improve the quality of care and support for adults and support for carers;
• smooth the transition from children's to adult services;
• protect adults with needs for care and support who are experiencing, or are at risk of, abuse or neglect; and
• identify lessons to be learned from cases where adults with needs for care and support have experienced serious abuse or neglect and apply those lessons to future cases.

3.29 The Social Services and Well-being (Wales) Act 2014 provides a legal framework for improving the well-being of people with care and support needs, and carers who need support in Wales. It encourages a renewed focus on early intervention and prevention and strengthens powers for the safeguarding of adults and children. It also requires the lead partner to establish a Safeguarding Board (SB) for its area.

Public Health

3.30 Local authorities are responsible for improving the health of their local population and for public health services, including most sexual health services and services aimed at reducing drug and alcohol misuse. Their statutory responsibilities are set out in the Health and Social Care Act 2012 and key indicators for local authorities to work towards are set out in the Public Health Outcomes Framework. Local authorities commission public health services and social care from providers and will hold them to account.

5. NHS England

3.31 NHS England was created by the Health and Social Care Act 2012. Its functions include:

• Setting the priorities and direction of the National Health Service (NHS) in England.
• Commissioning some primary care services in England, such as GPs, pharmacists and dentists as well as some specialised hospital services.
• Supporting Integrated Care Boards (ICBs) in commissioning other local health care services.

3.31 NHS England has a responsibility to ensure that health providers and ICBs co-operate with MAPPA and to monitor their compliance against statutory requirements; one of which is safeguarding. NHS England does not have contact with individual patients but does hold medical records for individuals who are not registered with a GP. NHS England may also raise awareness of MAPPA among healthcare professionals.

6. The Health Authority

3.33 A special health authority is an arms length body of the Department for Health and Social Care that operates nationally. They are NHS Blood and Transplant, NHS Business Services Authority, NHS Resolution and NHS Counter Fraud Authority.

7. The Integrated Care Board or Local Health Board

3.34 ICBs commission most of the hospital and community NHS services in England in the local areas for which they are responsible. Commissioning involves deciding what services are needed and ensuring that they are provided by planning, contracting and paying for them. ICBs are assured by NHS England, which retains responsibility for commissioning some primary care services and some specialised hospital services, like radiotherapy for cancer. The commissioning of some primary care has been delegated by NHS England to some ICBs.

3.35 Local Health Boards operate in Wales and are responsible for planning, funding and delivering primary care services, inpatient and outpatient hospital services and community services, including those provided through community health centres and mental health services.

3.36 ICBs and Local Health Boards should be represented on the SMB and involved in drafting the MoU. They can raise awareness among GPs and other health services they commission about MAPPA and how it relates to their safeguarding responsibilities. They will also hold providers to account for their contractual responsibilities (see 3.52 for more information about GPs).

8. The NHS Trust

3.37 An NHS Trust provides healthcare services in England in either a geographical area or a specialised function. There are several types of NHS Trusts, including Hospital Trusts (which provide secondary care services), Mental Health Trusts, Ambulance Services Trusts and Community Health Trusts. There may be several Trusts involved in different aspects of healthcare in any geographical area. Accident & Emergency departments are often amongst the first to witness the effects of crime and it is important that the Chief Executives of all Trusts are engaged in drafting the MoU.

Mental Health Trust

3.38 Mental Health Trusts provide health and social care services for people with mental health disorders and learning disabilities in England. They are commissioned and funded by ICBs. Mental Health Trusts may or may not provide inpatient psychiatric hospital services themselves (they may form part of a general hospital run by an NHS Hospital Trust). Various Trusts work together and with local authorities and voluntary organisations to provide care.

Standard: Mental Health Trusts identify all MAPPA patients and inform the MAPPA Co-ordinator of them.

3.39 Mental Health Trusts have a statutory responsibility to provide after-care in relation to certain persons subject to MAPPA and can be the lead agency (see Chapter 2 - Responsible Authority and Lead Agencies for more details). It is essential that Mental Health Trusts identify all patients who fall within MAPPA (both those in hospital and those in the community) and inform the MAPPA Co-ordinator of them via the MAPPA I. The MoU should include clear standing agreements about these individuals and RA contacts to help Trusts in managing them.

3.40 Further information on mentally disordered offenders and MAPPA can be found in Chapter 26 - Mentally Disordered Offenders.

9. The Local Housing Authority

3.41 Local housing authority (LHA) is the name given to the local authority when acting in its housing capacity. They have two functions that relate to the resettlement of persons subject to MAPPA; the allocation of social housing and the provision of housing assistance for people who are homeless. The duty of LHAs to co-operate with the RA does not create a separate duty to accommodate MAPPA managed individuals. For more information see Chapter 21 - Accommodation and Employment.

10. Private Registered Providers of Social Housing/Registered Social Landlords

3.42 Private Registered Provider of Social Housing (Registered Social Landlord in Wales) is the statutory name for social landlords who are registered with the Regulator of Social Housing. The majority of private registered providers are housing associations, who do not trade for profit, but there are also for-profit private registered providers. In housing associations, any surplus is reinvested back into the organisation to maintain existing homes and to help finance new ones. Housing associations are the main providers of new social housing.

3.43 Not all Private Registered Providers of Social Housing provide accommodation for persons subject to MAPPA. It is likely that, as providers of accommodation, the duty to co-operate will only engage when they are considering accommodating a person subject to MAPPA. However, the precise nature of the duty is determined by Private Registered Providers of Social Housing with the RA in each area and should be reflected in a DSA. For more information see Chapter 21 - Accommodation and Employment.

11. Electronic Monitoring (EM) providers

3.44 The EM Field and Service Provider delivers an electronic monitoring service to the Ministry of Justice under contract. Their duty to co-operate with the RA is intended to be synonymous with their contractual responsibilities. In practical terms this may involve the EM provider:

• Providing advice to the RA on the capability and limits of the available technology.
• Attending meetings of the SMB, as and when required, for discussions about policy and practice relating to electronic monitoring.
• Attending MAPPA meetings when the needs of a particular case require.

3.45 The EM provider deals with a variety of order types, including but not limited to prison licences, Community Orders, Youth Rehabilitation Orders and Court Bail. The EM provider will hold data in relation to MAPPA subjects and share it with relevant agencies and others on request.

3.46 The lead agency should inform the EM provider of every MAPPA managed individual who is subject to EM, so that the individual's MAPPA status may be recorded on the EM provider's database. The EM provider is then authorised by the Ministry of Justice to release relevant information about the individual to the RA for MAPPA purposes as soon as it is requested.

3.47 The EM provider should be kept informed of the names of the relevant probation practitioners and provided with contact details for key agencies, such as the police (including out of hours), and these should be updated when necessary. The EM provider will provide up-to-date progress reports at any time when asked to do so, e.g. for MAPPA meetings.

12. Home Office

3.48 The Home Office is responsible, through UK Immigration Enforcement (also referred to as Home Office Immigration Enforcement or HOIE), UK Visas and Immigration and UK Border Force for the operation of UK immigration controls, the management of applications for asylum or further stay, and enforcement. HOIE aims to protect the public by deporting foreign nationals who commit serious criminal offences (where legislation permits), and by actively monitoring foreign nationals who are released into the community.

3.49 As a DTC agency, the Home Office can prioritise enforcement action for the most dangerous persons convicted of sexual and violent offences and improve the information flow to immigration detention centres in respect of risk management and safeguarding - for example, avoiding the placement of certain individuals with children and vulnerable adults at the centres. See Chapter 25 - Foreign National Offenders for further information.

3.50 A MAPPA Single Point of Contact will be identified by each Home Office case management directorate and by the operational regions so that requests to exchange information between the Home Office and other MAPPA agencies are handled effectively. Contacts are listed on the MAPPA website at https://mappa.justice.gov.uk/General/view?objectID=265796.