Dear Auntie,
Hope all is well with you, I am currently reviewing some procedures and I just wanted to confirm a point relating to administrative penalties.
Should an Adpen be given to the claimant by a Senior Officer / Management or can an IO give one of these? We have always used a Senior or Management but I am aware in some authorities an IO will administer these. I am aware that the person giving the Adpen should not have been present in the IUC for a fair and transparent process.
Many thanks for your help with this,
Vicky
ITS Training (UK) Ltd.
…a rather good training company!
Dear Vicky,
I am very well thank you dearie.
Anyone can administer an Administrative Penalty, so long as the correct protocols are followed. There is nothing to prevent an IO from doing it, although it is best practice that the person administering the penalty was not involved in the investigation (if this is at all possible).
It is needful to add some ‘gravitas’ to the proceedings but a senior officer is not always necessary for this. We know of an authority (in the past) that had employed a retired police superintendant as an IO – he always did cautions and penalty interviews – he knew how to convey the seriousness of the matter.
I do hope this helps,
Auntie