Accredited Assessor

The Role

This is a rare opportunity to take up an interesting and challenging role in contributing to robust and defensible decision making in Scotland’s criminal justice system. A specialism and extensive experience in forensic services is essential.

Qualified individuals will be accredited by the RMA to complete complex risk assessments for the High Court in relation to Scotland’s unique Order for Lifelong Restriction sentence. Assessors are required to provide the court with a high quality assessment, called a Risk Assessment Report (RAR) which clearly outlines conclusions and recommendations relating to risk presented by the individual. This report should be provided in a timely manner in line with timescales outlined by the court. Assessors have a duty to have regard to RMA Standards and Guidelines when compiling the report. Completion of the assessment will require a collateral file review, interviews with the subject of the report, professionals and relevant others and development of a clear and accessible report. The assessor may also be required to attend court as a professional witness.

The role of an Accredited Assessor proactively leads in the ethical treatment of individuals who offend, protecting victims and the safety of communities. It offers you the opportunity to broaden your experience and professional competency, and allows you direct interaction with the justice system, agencies and peers to be able to share best practice.

“Being an Accredited Assessor is a role that has a unique influence on the decision making of the High Court.  If the court applies the Order for Lifelong Restriction, our reports galvanise resources to manage and reduce risk. I never could have imagined, as a trainee, working as an accredited assessor, but with the support of the RMA team, who are extremely approachable and friendly, my learning continues to increase with every new assessment”.  

– Dr John Marshall (Current Accredited Assessor)

The Person

This challenging role requires a relevant professional qualification, such as: Registered Forensic Psychologist and/or Chartered Psychologist; Clinical Forensic Psychologist, or Psychiatrist with forensic specialty.

Successful candidates must be able to demonstrate a consistently high standard of written communication, and extensive knowledge of current professional literature and research regarding the assessment, treatment and management of sexual and violent offenders.

See the full list of Criteria and Competencies for this role in our Information for Applicants pack by clicking here.

Remuneration

Accredited Assessors are not employed by the RMA, they are accredited by the RMA and engaged and remunerated by the court. When acting on behalf of the court, assessors are reimbursed in line with expert witness rates for their time and travel spent compiling a Risk Assessment Report. This is currently set at £100 per hour. Travelling and accommodation expenses may be claimed, subject to agreed rates.

Current Accredited Assessors estimate that compiling a Risk Assessment Report can take around 100 hours of work and can involve extensive travel for interviews and court dates.

Location

Accredited Assessors must be UK based and have the ability to travel across Scotland as required. Accredited Assessors may be required to attend court in Scotland as a professional witness.

How to Apply

The Accreditation process follows four stages: 

• Pre-application 

• Application 

• Interview 

• Maintenance of Accreditation  

You can access the pre-application survey by clicking here.

The pre-application survey should take around 15-20 minutes.  

Upon completion, if your responses demonstrate that you have the skills and experience required, a member of the RMA team will respond via e-mail and provide an application form. Should you qualify to apply for Accreditation you will have the opportunity to expand upon the answers provided in this survey. If your responses demonstrate that you are not suitable for the role, a member of the RMA team will respond via e-mail with information on why this decision was taken.

We aim to respond within five working days. There is no appeals process; all decisions taken at this stage in the process are final. 

For more information on the application process, see the Information for Applicants pack by clicking here.

More Information

The Information for Applicants pack is available on our website by clicking here.

Alternatively, you can request a pack or ask any further questions by contacting our office on 0141 278 4478 or via email to olr@rma.gov.scot

Organisation Details

The Risk Management Authority (RMA) is a non-departmental public body of the Scottish Government. The RMA’s duties focus on protecting the public by ensuring that robust risk assessment and risk management practices are in place to reduce the risk of serious harm posed by violent and sexual offenders. Our work includes:

• Providing advice and recommendations to Scottish Ministers

The RMA Accreditation Committee acts on behalf of the RMA Board to award accreditation to competent assessors. As an accreditation body, the RMA supports assessors in a number of ways. Upon appointment assessors will be provided with an induction to introduce key processes and documentation, meet RMA personnel and make links to existing assessors if required.

Additionally, the RMA will quality assure RARs to support professional development and provide assurance to the accreditation committee that high standards are being maintained. Feedback and guidance may be provided to assessors as part of this process. The RMA will also be available to assessors throughout their period of accreditation for ad-hoc advice, support and guidance.

www.rma.scot