20.1 The risk of serious harm can be managed but it cannot be eliminated. The Responsible Authority (RA) and Duty to Co-operate (DTC) agencies are expected to do all they reasonably can to protect the public from serious harm, but there will be occasions when an offender subject to MAPPA commits a serious further offence. In certain circumstances, the Strategic Management Board (SMB) will commission a MAPPA Serious Case Review (SCR) when this happens.

20.2 The purpose of an SCR is to examine whether the MAPPA were applied effectively and whether the agencies worked together to do all they reasonably could to manage the risk of further offending in the community. An SCR should also establish whether there are improvements to be made, identify them clearly, decide what action to take, and aim to inform the future development of MAPPA policies and procedures. It may also identify areas of good practice. It is not the purpose of an SCR to examine whether agencies followed their internal case management procedures or determine why an offence was committed. Nor is it the purpose of an SCR to apportion blame.