Governance and Corporate Information

The RMA’s remit is determined by the legal requirements set out in the Criminal Justice (Scotland) Act 2003 and more explicitly in the Risk Assessment and Minimisation (Accreditation Scheme) (Scotland) Order 2006.

Our Chief Executive is accountable to 1) the Scottish Government Community Justice Division, who act as our sponsor and funder, and 2) the RMA Board who provide strategic direction and monitor our progress.

In adhering to our statutory obligations, we produce regular corporate documents that are accessible to the public to ensure transparency in our work. These documents outline how we work and provide evidence on our progress to our key stakeholders.

Our Corporate Plans are formal documents that outline our long-term strategies and the approach we will undertake to achieve them.

Business Plans support the Corporate Plan in that they are produced every year and provide more detailed information on the activities we will undertake to help us achieve our strategic aims. These documents contain our Objectives and Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) for the current 12-month period.

Our Annual Report and Accounts are laid before Parliament and published on our website. These retrospective documents provide information on our progress and details of expenditure. Our reports are also a means of demonstrating evidence of effective financial control and the utilisation of public funding in-line with government objectives.

Our Sponsorship Framework sets out the broad framework within which the RMA will operate.

Legislative Framework

The RMA seeks to establish and promote best practice in the risk assessment and risk management of offenders through its commitment to continuous improvement, innovation, research and excellent quality standards.
The Risk Management Authority was established for the following reasons:

The growing public concern about the harm resulting from sexual and violent offending

The need for special measures for offenders considered to be at high risk of serious re-offending

The diversity of professional practices and competing approaches in the assessment and management of high risk offenders

The need for research to evidence and develop best practice

The problems of inter-agency communication, information flow and shared definitions and understanding

You can read the legal documents where our statutory requirements are detailed at the following links:

More information about our legislative requirements can also be found in our corporate plan.