Public Accountability within PPANI

What are Lay Advisers?

Article 51(2) of the Criminal Justice (Northern Ireland) Order 2008 allows the Department of Justice to appoint two Lay Advisers to the PPANI Strategic Management Board. The Lay Advisers role is to provide a challenge to the professionals by acting as a ‘critical friend’. They bring to the oversight function their understanding and perspective of public protection issues away from the professional viewpoint.  Their activities include:

• Attending Strategic Management Board meetings
• Contribute to the monitoring and evaluation of the operation of PPANI
• Attending LAPPP meetings
• Attending the subgroups of the SMB
• Participating in media communications and education awareness alongside the communications subgroup.

Who are the Lay Advisers?

Phyllis Halley

Mrs Phyllis Halley was appointed a Lay Adviser on April 26, 2009.

As a Lay Adviser, Phyllis sees herself as a “critical friend” to the agencies within the public protection arrangements and the Strategic Management Board.   She attends meetings, seminars,conferences and training.   Attending the latter gives her scope to cascade information regarding the training of agency personnel in the public forum if and when she is needed to do so.

The overall role enables her to ask questions and challenge policies and procedures not only from her previous career knowledge but as an experienced member of the public.  Also during her career in the Education Welfare Service Phyllis liaised with Social Services and the Police on physical and sexual abuse cases of children of school age and is therefore able to understand the intricacies involved especially when attending LAPPP meetings when category 1,2 and 3 offenders are discussed, and   has stated that she can say with much confidence that their everyday behaviours and actions are scrutinized by the local personnel on the ground to make sure the public at  large (both males and females of all ages) are kept safe in their local areas.

She took early retirement having spent some forty plus years as a local government officer within the education sector.   As well as her career she has carried out voluntary work on a part-time basis for the Policing Board, Cruse Bereavement, a Volunteer Advocate for the Alzheimer's Society, Citizens' Advice, Save the Children, Victim Support and is currently an Appeals Tribunal Panel Member for the local Education Board, a member of her church's care team and a committee member of her local residents'  association.

Phyllis is married, she and her husband enjoy numerous hobbies. 
 

Dan McEvoy

Dan McEvoy is currently one of two lay advisers appointed to the Public Protection Arrangements within Northern Ireland. He was appointed in May 2009 and has now served 2 years of a 3 year appointment period.

Outside of this appointment, he is employed full time as a civil servant and for many years has been actively involved with the Down Community Safety Partnership. He currently chairs the Down Community Safety Network. He is also a Neighbourhood Watch Co-coordinator. He is married with four young children and enjoys performing with his band at weekends.

Dan says “Managing convicted sex offenders and violent offenders within the community is a complex and challenging task for all the main agencies involved.   Providing reassurance to members of the public that they and their children are safe is also a very challenging goal.

In my role as a lay adviser I try to bring the “public” perspective to the arrangements. I can question, (at all levels,)  any area of the arrangements where I feel additional clarification is necessary to reassure me that everything is being done to ensure the public’s safety.  

I have no professional attachment to any of the main agencies involved in the arrangements.  My role as a lay adviser is acknowledged and accepted as an integral part to the Northern Ireland arrangements by all the agencies involved.  As a full member of the Strategic Management Board I am kept informed of all activities / changes within public protection including revised policies and procedures.  Through my attendance at Local Area Protection Panels (LAPPPs) I can observe how these agreed practices are integrated into the delivery of the arrangements at a local level.  If I have any concerns about the management of a particular offender or their associated Risk Management Plan I can then raise these at a senior level for clarification.

I find my role interesting and challenging.  I feel I do contribute in a small way offering reassurance to members of the general public that within Northern Ireland we do have a professional and dedicated team delivering public protection arrangements".

Annual Reports

The Strategic Management Board (SMB) has a statutory function to prepare and publish an Annual Report of the public protection arrangements in Northern Ireland (PPANI)  This report provides the public with an overview of how the arrangements have operated in the previous year, and any significant changes to the arrangements.  The Annual Report addresses the PPANI SMB Business Plan and how the objectives were met.

The latest Annual Report is available to download