Members of the public are to be encouraged to sit on management boards overseeing the monitoring of violent and sexual offenders in their communities.

The move follows growing public alarm in the wake of the murder of schoolgirl Sarah Payne and the News of the World's naming and shaming campaign.

But ministers have refused to give in to demands allowing community leaders and local people access to the names and addresses of sex offenders.

Next month, the government will launch a recruitment advertising campaign for lay advisers in the North West and North East, extending from July to Yorkshire and the Humber, Wales, the West and East Midlands.

The commercials will then be used in the South West, South East, London and Eastern England from November.

Successful applicants will receive training, but will not be paid.

They will be required to attend four meetings of their strategic management boards each year and will have no contact with offenders.

"Managing high-risk sexual and violent offenders in the community will always need professional and sensitive handling," said Home Office minister Paul Goggins.

"Multi-agency public protection arrangements (MAPPA) have already proved to be a tremendous success and we believe this is another important step in ensuring the best possible management of these types of offenders.

"Lay advisers will play a vital role in their local area.  We are committed to giving them not only an insight into how this work is carried out but, more importantly, an opportunity to question what is being done and why."

Trials

The move follows successful trials in eight probation areas last year.

The plans have been welcomed by police officers.

"Lay advisers will play an important part in the review and monitoring of the MAPPA," said Dyfed Powys chief constable Terry Grange, who leads for the Association of Chief Police Officers on child protection.

"They represent a community interest in public protection and bring a different perspective from that of the professional interests in the MAPPA.

"This gives a freshness of view, a disinterested opinion which can, as the pilots showed, provide a 'reality check'.

"I believe that lay advisers offer a real opportunity to enhance public confidence in public protection work."