3.51 Associate agency is the name given to any person or agency that the RA considers may contribute to assessing and managing the risks presented by a MAPPA managed individual. While this does not impose a duty to co-operate with MAPPA on them, it means that they benefit from the information sharing provisions in s.325 CJA 2003, which gives them a lawful basis for sharing information and means they may attend MAPPA meetings.

Associate agencies can only be identified by the RA. The SMB should designate MAPPA Co-ordinators and MAPPA Meeting Chairs to act on behalf of the RA to identify and record all Associate agencies in their area. RA and DTC agency staff may make a recommendation to the MAPPA Co-ordinator that a person or agency is identified as an Associate agency. Agencies may also request Associate agency status where they are involved with MAPPA managed individuals. The recommendation/request should explain how the person or agency could contribute to assessing and managing the risks presented by a specific MAPPA managed individual or MAPPA managed individuals in general. Associate agency status may be allocated permanently or temporarily according to circumstance. MAPPA Meeting Chairs should also identify Associate agencies during MAPPA meetings and record the rationale in meeting minutes for Level 2 and 3 cases. The MAPPA Co-ordinator should maintain a record of all Associate agencies and the rationale behind their identification. Agencies that are permanently identified as Associate agencies should sign the MoU. The following services will often be Associate agencies:

Commissioned Services

3.52 The Probation Service and other Lead Agencies commission a number of organisations to provide services in relation to accommodation, education training and employment, personal wellbeing and women's services. These providers do not have a statutory duty to co-operate but must engage with MAPPA as part of their contract. Where they offer services to persons subject to MAPPA probation practitioners may request contributions to MAPPA meetings.

Independent Sector Mental Health Providers

3.53 Independent sector mental health providers can be commissioned and contracted by NHS England, ICBs or Local Health Boards to provide mental health services under the NHS, including for patients subject to a hospital order. They can also provide services privately without an NHS contract. NHS contracts require these providers to engage in safeguarding. Independent mental health providers may be the lead agency (see Chapter 2 - Responsible Authority and Lead Agency).

General Practitioners

3.54 GPs are medical doctors who treat acute and chronic illnesses and provide preventive care and health education to patients. GPs can work with persons subject to MAPPA to promote health and wellbeing as part of their rehabilitation. Although they do not have a statutory duty to co-operate with MAPPA, GPs have a professional duty to maintain and develop multi-agency collaboration (see https://www.gmc-uk.org/guidance/ethical_guidance/30608.asp paragraph 71, which specifically refers to MAPPA). The Care Quality Commission (CQC) ensures that GP practices deliver high quality safeguarding support, work collaboratively and adopt recommendations from serious safeguarding reviews. ICBs and local authorities have local safeguarding teams who monitor the quality of safeguarding at a practice level (or generally within services). GPs are often amongst the first to witness escalating risk and the effects of crime. The medical record of a person subject to MAPPA may hold important information about the victim, children and/or perpetrator that is relevant to the risk identification and safety planning process. This may include details about their mental health, substance use, clinical history or, in the case of a child, their development. It may also include information about abuse experienced or perpetrated by the patient. GPs should consider sharing such information where it is necessary and proportionate for protecting the public. Consideration should be given to sharing information with GPs in order to protect staff and other patients (including individuals' partners and children).

Prevent

3.55 Prevent is a national safeguarding programme that supports people who are at risk of becoming involved with terrorism through radicalisation. Section 26 of the Counter-Terrorism and Security Act 2015 (CTSA 2015) places a duty on specified authorities (listed in Schedule 6 CTSA 2015) to have "due regard to the need to prevent people from being drawn into terrorism" in the exercise of their functions. Each Local Authority has a person responsible for Prevent whose role it is to develop a Prevent-specific risk mitigation plan for that area. In MAPPA cases where there is an identified terrorism risk or risk of or vulnerability to radicalisation, the involvement of the Prevent lead, in addition to Counter Terrorism Prevent Police, ensures that the potential impact on local institutions, including schools and places of worship is considered holistically and mitigated against. They can also act as a conduit to accessing local community or support organisations that may assist with the reintegration of such cases.

Connect to Work

3.56 Connect to Work is a national scheme commissioned by local authorities to get people with barriers to employment into employment. Those who access the scheme may be subject to MAPPA and it is important that Connect to Work providers can identify these individuals so they are not placed in inappropriate employment.