London Criminal Justice Board - 1 March 2023 Minutes

• Sophie Linden, DMPC (Chair)
• Diana Luchford, MOPAC
• Claire Waxman, MOPAC
• Will Balakrishnan, MOPAC
• Tamara Barnett, MOPAC
• Shobnam Islam, MOPAC
• Kenny Bowie, MOPAC
• Tom Burnham, MOPAC
• Mat Pickering, MOPAC
• Lucas Holmes, MOPAC
• Lib Peck, VRU
• Barry Hughes, CPS North
• Lionel Idan, CPS South
• Matt Twist, MPS
• Clare Ansdell, HMPPS
• Carina Heckroodt, HMPPS
• Angus Cameron, HMPPS
• Louise Hubbard, HMPPS
• Amy Hudspith, BTP
• Fiona Taylor, London Councils
• Stephen Douglass, London Councils
• Ian Bickers, HMPPS
• Martin Pratt, ADCS
• Sinead Dervin, NHS
• Sir Norman Lamb, NHS
• Emma Christie, NHS
• Martin Machray, NHS
• Helen Isaac, City of London Police
• Chris Turner, Kent PCC (observing)
• Dr Debbie Weekes-Bernard, Mayor's Office
• Richard Riley, City of London Police
• Anna Rice, City of London Police
• Jo Towens, HMCTS

Apologies

• Nick John, MPS
• Kilvinder Vigurs, Probation
• Henry Smithers, YJB
• Cmdr Umer Khan, City of London Police
• Paul Furnell, BTP
• Althea Loderick, London Councils      
• Andrea Simon, EVAW and Co-Chair of VAWG Board
• Hesham Puri, London Crime Courts Assoc.
• Stephen McAllister, HMCTS
• Claudia Sturt, YJB
• Claire Solley, ADASS

DMPC Sophie Linden welcomed all members to the LCJB. The previous meeting's minutes and actions were reviewed. MOPAC provided updates on the previous meeting's actions. Members were updated on Met operations and case file quality issues.

Reducing Reoffending Board - Jordan McSweeney case and systems learning from serious offences and case reviews across agencies.

DMPC Sophie Linden introduced this item as an opportunity to consider learning across the system in relation to the appalling murder of Zara Aleena, the subsequent conviction of Jordan McSweeney and the recent HMI report.

MOPAC summarised key details from the Jordan McSweeney case and highlighted four broad themes for learning from the case review: information sharing, multi-agency partnership arrangements, importance of recalls being actioned quickly and violence reduction interventions.

Probation updated the board that there is an action plan including ten actions for HMPPS which cover the above 4 themes and that work has started on implementation. Further work is defined around information sharing, particularly ensuring that information is shared effectively within prisons, from prisons to probation and how that information is then used to inform risk assessments and plans. A review of how risk assessments are undertaken, what the barriers are to operational staff being able to assess risk effectively and accurately, and how to overcome those barriers; is underway.  Challenges in how operational staff are supported to make effective decisions, particularly in London where they’re faced with real resource constraints is accepted.  The joint national protocol around timeliness of a recall is being updated between HMPPS and the Police, with the intention of the updated version being issued at the end of March. Probation have set up a steering group and there is a programme of case audits in place. Probation will update the board on progress in six months' time and a new LCJB Serious Case Task and Finish Group will be created to regularly review responses to the recommendations, share learning and track progress.

MOPAC introduced the item referencing a recent deep-dive and  noting concerns from the CPS around referrals from the MPS in cases where they’re given advice. The disparity between reporting of DA and sanctioned detection rates was noted with assurance that changes in practice within the MPS are underway.

CPS South raised that in relation to DA receipts received since quarter 4 last year for both sites numbers have dropped, and no further action rates have increased with the primary reason E72 (evidence missing). CPS North raised that the data shows there has also been a decrease in arrests and cautions. The CPS are exploring the ability to set up specialist domestic abuse courts and will update the board on the progress of this. AC Matt Twist raised that there needs to be a deep dive of DA cases to understand the data in relation to case file quality. The MPS will update on this and specific DA priorities within the Turnaround Plan at the next LCJB.

This item was presented by NHS partners.

NHSE London - Mental Health Programme overview  

The Regional Mental Health Team leads the regional oversight of mental health policy priorities, working with ICBs to interpret and implement national strategy for London. Over the course of the NHS Long Term Plan, £363M is available for London to expand and improve mental health services aligned to ambitious delivery targets. Expansion of mental health support teams is supporting children and young people to access support earlier than ever, with over 9,500 Children and Young People supported to date. They are establishing the priority workforce objectives for London’s workforce programme in 2023-24 through collaborative stakeholder engagement across the region and constituent ICS and ICB colleagues.  

Development of London’s Crisis Care Concordat

The NHS have been working with stakeholders across London to develop a crisis care concordat for London. The concordat will be a London wide agreement between local services and agencies to ensure seamless care and support for people accessing care in London’s mental health system. They have convened a task and finish group, chaired by Sir Norman Lamb to design the four key elements of London’s proposed crisis care concordat, including representatives from the following groups: ICB mental health leads, people with lived experience, London councils/ADASS representatives, mental health trust reps, Metropolitan Police. Through the document, London system partners will commit to being anti-racist. The document will include a suite of good practice case study examples that highlight promising work across the region to improve the Urgent and Emergency Mental Health pathway.

Mental Health provision across the London Criminal Justice System  

NHS England, London Region is responsible for commissioning £115m p.a. healthcare services across settings in London. In addition, the team co-commission services with MOPAC such as pan London services for victims of sexual assault and abuse as well services to support victims of stalking (SARCS, The Lighthouse, STAC). Across the prison estate there are a variety of professionals and practitioners who support the delivery of mental health services within the adult estate to facilitate a multi-disciplinary approach to care. Referral, Assessment and Transfer activity is integral to the safe and productive management of Operational Capacity within London Prisons contributing to timely and safe patient/prisoner flow. The psychological therapies teams offer evidence-based interventions for individuals with active trauma which are screened using validated outcome measures.

Liaison and Diversion Service Model operates across the whole of England: all ages, vulnerabilities (mental health, learning disabilities, substance misuse and/or psychosocial vulnerabilities). It operates across both the Youth and Adult Criminal Justice Systems but from the point of suspicion of an offence to the point of disposal (NFA, Police caution, OOCDs, Community Sentences and YOI/prison).

SARCs Mental Health Model - The Enhanced Mental Health Pathfinders for Adult Survivors of Sexual Assault with Complex Trauma-related Mental Health Needs is a National NHSE Sexual Abuse and Assault Strategy (SAAS) initiative to be established in London this year 2023/24 initially with a ‘Transformation Programme’ coordinating the response to the recommendations from the HNA conducted in 2022/23.

The NHS discussed high numbers of neurodivergent people in contact with the CJS & the need to improve outcomes. Current challenges in consistency of support provision in London for people under probation supervision. The Cross Government Working Group, led by MoJ, has met four times to direct and oversee the six- month exploratory phase. In prison and probation, substantial progress with the rollout of the Neurodiversity Support Manager role in prisons. A new ‘Neurodiversity Support Manager Framework’ has been developed. HMPPS have also developed a ‘National Neurodiversity Training Toolkit’ available for all frontline staff within prison and probation. MOPAC and HMPPS London Probation region are currently co commissioning a range of services for the London IOM cohort.