Reflections on Risk: Insights for Policy and Practice

2nd event added due to popular demand!

The recent Covid pandemic has demonstrated just how challenging risk assessment can be. In our personal and professional lives we are confronted with at times conflicting information, a range of potential “what ifs”, and numerous personal biases, values and beliefs that impinge upon our decision making. This lecture will review some of the key challenges for risk assessors and present some good practice tips and “lessons learnt” from inquiries and investigations of risk failures in order to improve the decision making of practitioners and policy makers.

Learning outcomes:

A better understanding of the personal biases, values and beliefs that impinge on risk assessment.

Best practice tips for avoiding faulty decisions

Best practice tips for quality assuring risk decisions

Professor Hazel Kemshall

Hazel is currently Professor of Community and Criminal Justice, De Montfort University, Leicester. Her research interests are in risk assessment and management of serious violent and sexual offenders, risk assessment decision making and procedures, management and intervention techniques including public health approaches and public awareness campaigns. She has investigated Sarah’s Law, MAPPA, CoSA, public awareness campaigns, and methods to assess and manage serious offenders who travel across EU borders. She has received grants from the Economic and Social Research Council, MoJ, NOMS, Home Office, Scottish Government, Welsh Office, Risk Management Authority Scotland, Leverhulme, and European Union.