Sefton review

That Manchester Mental Health and Social Care Trust (HMP Manchester) and Mersey Care NHS Trust confirm in writing to Sefton Safer Communities Partnership what actions have been taken to remedy the identified weaknesses when releasing prisoners who are entitled to Section 117 services.

That in cases in which prison mental health services have identified that a mental health assessment is needed, the National Offender Management Service ensures that when decisions are taken to move offenders between prisons, the assessment is completed prior to that move. If the prisoner is to be released before the assessment is completed, the National Offender Management Service should ensure there is a process in place to highlight the incomplete assessment to the offender’s current or last known GP, and request the GP to refer the offender to the nearest secondary mental health provider to the area in which they are released.

Furthermore, that where a prisoner is already being assessed by specialist mental health services, the National Offender Management Service is asked to determine the risks to that individual, and of the individual reoffending, if a complete mental health assessment cannot be achieved as a direct consequence of the prisoner being moved or released.

That Your Housing Group reports in writing to Sefton Safer Communities Partnership what action it has taken to ensure that it minimises the risks of domestic abuse to its tenants. This must include commentary on how it ensures that the risk of domestic abuse is assessed for all new tenants, and how its staff are trained to respond to information that raises a domestic abuse concern.

That Sefton Safer Communities Partnership undertakes research within its local communities about barriers to reporting domestic abuse and how the community can be empowered to ‘speak out’. Furthermore, Sefton Safer Communities Partnership is asked to develop, publish and publicise advice for family and friends on what to do [or not to do] when they receive disclosures of domestic abuse and to ensure that this information is always available in places frequented by the public.

That Merseyside MAPPA Strategic Management Board reports in writing to Sefton Safer Communities Partnership what action it has taken to ensure that Section 6.15 of the MAPPA Guidance 2012 [Identifying MAPPA offenders] is adhered to.

That MAPPA-managed offenders are managed at the appropriate level and that any substantial disagreement between agencies on which level a person should be managed at has a resolution pathway.

That disclosure is always considered when there is a risk to others. Disclosure to a third party (Your Housing Group) was considered but not felt necessary when the perpetrator was assessed as presenting a risk to the public at the MAPPA meeting on 12 August 2014. While full disclosure to all residents was unlikely, this should have been discussed and clarified in the minutes, as should discussion and clarification of disclosure to Your Housing Group. The learning from this event is that disclosure should always be considered when there is a risk to others. This learning should be fed back to those who chair MAPPA meetings.

That Merseyside Police reports in writing to Sefton Safer Communities Partnership what action it has taken to ensure that its policies and practices for circulating wanted people are appropriate and followed.

That the pan-Merseyside MARAC steering group considers the way in which the recording of MARAC meetings can be improved, how actions are recorded and allocated, and how agencies are held to account for their delivery. The steering group should consider whether meetings should be voice recorded.