This is an 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. It's expected that Assessors will complete two reports per year. See Time Commitment for more information.
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.
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 speciality.
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.
We encourage potential applicants to arrange an informal chat with an RMA representative regarding the role itself and the application process. Please email
to request this.
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 hours of work and can involve extensive travel for interviews and court dates.
Time Commitment
It's expected that Assessors will complete on average two reports per year. 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 estimated time commitment per report is approximately hours 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 on the RMA website:
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.
More Information
For more information on the application process, see the Information for Applicants pack on the RMA website:
Alternatively, you can request a pack or ask any further questions by contacting our office on or via email to