IAPDC publishes new workplan
The IAPDC has agreed a new interim workplan outlining key work to be delivered between April and October 2023 to prevent deaths in all forms of state custody.
It includes some work ongoing from the 2021/22 workplan, and some scoping for work that will continue in the subsequent 2023/24 workplan, which the Panel will publish in due course.
The workplan contains ten projects. Seven are cross-cutting across multiple places of detention, one is related specifically to police custody, and two are related to detention under the Mental Health Act. The workplan is aligned to the Ministerial Board on Deaths in Custody’s three priority areas: treatment and care; investigations and learning; and risk and forward planning. Projects include:
- developing processes to improve services’ engagement with bereaved families;
- identifying ways of maximising the potential of coroners’ Prevention of Future Deaths reports; and
- ensuring that the prevention of suicide in detention is a key focus of the Government’s new Suicide Prevention Strategy, currently under development.
Speaking about the workplan, IAPDC Chair Lynn Emslie said:
More must be done to prevent deaths in custody. The number of deaths remains tragically high and we need to prioritise our combined efforts to effect change and reduce the traumatic impact on families, agencies, and the staff providing care. Developing the workplan is the next step in the action to work collaboratively with government, key agencies, and stakeholders to reduce deaths in all places of custody and detention.
This workplan draws on the expertise held by Panel members, building on ongoing workstreams and laying the foundations for future projects. The recent appointments of Raj Desai, Pauline McCabe, and Dr Jake Hard, combined with the knowledge and experience of the existing Panel members, will help to drive forward crucial work to ensure government, agencies, and public bodies prioritise the safety of detained individuals under their care.