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Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to critically analyse the concept of mandatory reporting in adult safeguarding in the jurisdictions of Australia, Canada, England, Northern Ireland and Scotland. Design/methodology/approach: A rapid realist evaluation of the literature on this topic was carried out in order to answer the question: "what works, for whom and in what circumstances?" Particular attention was paid to Context(s), Mechanism(s) and Outcome(s) configurations of adult safeguarding reporting systems and processes. Findings: The evaluation found a range of arguments for and against mandatory reporting and international variations on the scope and powers of mandatory reporting. Research limitations/implications: This review was undertaken in late 2018 so subsequent policy and practice developments will be missing from the evaluation. The evaluation focussed on five jurisdictions therefore, the findings are not necessarily translatable to other contexts. Practical implications: Some jurisdictions have introduced mandatory reporting and others are considering doing so. The potential advantages and challenges of introducing mandatory reporting are highlighted. Social implications: The introduction of mandatory reporting may offer professionals increased powers to prevent and reduce the abuse of adults, but this could also change the dynamic of relationships within families, and between families and professionals. Originality/value: This paper provides an accessible discussion of mandatory reporting across Ireland and internationally which to date has been lacking from the literature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to compare recent developments in adult protection legislation, policy and practice in Scotland in 2015 with the first attempts at protection of adults at risk of harm, in 1857-1862, with a particular focus on people with learning disabilities. Design/methodology/approach – The paper uses comparative historical research, drawing on primary archive material from 1857 to 1862 in the form of Annual Reports of the General Board of Commissioners in Lunacy for Scotland and associated papers. Findings – Growing public awareness of the extent of neglect and abuse, and the need for overarching legislation were common factors in the development of both the “The Lunacy Act” of 1857 and the Adult Support and Protection (Scotland) Act of 2007. Both pieces of legislation also had the common aim of “asylum”, and shared some other objectives. Practical implications – Total prevention of abuse of vulnerable adults is an aspiration in law and in policy. There is an evidence base of effectiveness, however, in protecting adults at risk of harm from abuse. Some ecological factors recur as challenges to effective safeguarding activity. These include problems of definition, uncovering abuse, enforcing legislation, evaluating impact and protection of people who are not a risk of harm to others. Originality/value – This paper compares common themes and common challenges in two separate time periods to investigate what can be learned about the development of legislation and practice in adult protection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to report the findings from research into the outcomes of adult protection in Scotland, with particular focus on how service users, family members and service delivery professionals perceive the effectiveness of the protection orders in the Adult Support and Protection (Scotland) Act 2007. Design/methodology/approach – The study comprised analysis of Adult Protection Committee biennial reports on implementation of the 2007 Act to the Scottish Government, key informant interviews and workshops with professionals involved in adult protection leadership and practice, and case study interviews with service users, family members and practitioners. Findings – Concerns about the potential for paternalistic practice and excessive use of the protection orders within the 2007 Act have not materialised. The principle of proportionality appears to be firmly embedded in adult protection practice. Service delivery professionals, service users and family members remain acutely aware of the tensions between autonomy and protection but point to beneficial outcomes for adults at risk from the careful use of protection orders, especially banning orders. Research limitations/implications – Only ten case studies were able to be included in the study. However, the use of mixed methods enabled triangulation of the findings. Common themes emerge from across the data sources. The findings also resonate with conclusions drawn by other researchers. Practical implications – The paper identifies outcomes and challenges in respect of protecting adults at risk in Scotland. Strengths and limitations of the 2007 Act are identified. Originality/value – The paper offers a formal evaluation of the outcome of protection orders for adults at risk in Scotland. The findings are of wider policy relevance given the debates on how to legislate for adult safeguarding in England and Wales. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose – The purpose of the paper is to report the findings from research into the governance of adult protection in Scotland, with particular focus on the outcomes of provision for multi-agency leadership and management of adult safeguarding in the Adult Support and Protection (Scotland) Act 2007. Comparisons will be drawn between these findings and the evidence on the governance of adult safeguarding in England. Design/methodology/approach – The study comprised a thematic analysis of Adult Protection Committee (APC) biennial reports on implementation of the 2007 Act to the Scottish Government, associated documentation, and key informant interviews with professionals involved in adult protection leadership and practice. Findings – A rich and complex pattern of arrangements, activities, experiences and challenges were identified across a number of dimensions, including management structures of APCs, development of policies and procedures, multi-agency working, training, performance assessment and quality management, engagement of service users and carers and operation of the 2007 Act. Research limitations/implications – Service users and carers were not directly involved in the documentary review or key informant interviews. There remains a need to investigate the impacts on practice and service user experience of different forms of governance of adult protection arrangements. Practical implications – The paper identifies outcomes and challenges in respect of multi-agency approaches to governance taken by APCs in Scotland. Originality/value – The paper offers the first formal evaluation of governance of adult protection systems in Scotland and includes comparative analysis with research findings on the governance of adult safeguarding in England. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose -- This paper aims to explore the possible connections between self-directed support and adult support and protection, both of which are important policy developments in Scotland. Design/methodology/approach -- The authors draw on findings from the national evaluation of the test sites or pilots of self-directed support in Scotland and interviews at two time points with adult protection leads in the test sites. These interview data are set in the context of Scottish developments in adult support and protection. Findings -- Self-directed support and adult protection had not been joined up initially. In the three Scottish test sites those responsible for adult safeguarding had not been engaged with the changes. They were unclear about the new systems and were concerned about the implications of reduced monitoring of risks. Shared training between those implementing self-directed support and those carrying out adult protection work was viewed as a way of bridging these different areas of practice through enhancing mutual understanding and communication. Originality/value -- Policy and legislation have used the word support to provide reassurance of social protection for adults in need of care services. This paper provides new opportunities to consider the ways in which early enthusiasm for self-directed support in Scotland may have neglected the support inherent to support and protection and the ways in which some adult support and protection stakeholders seemed to be acting as "bystanders" rather than influencing new systems of self-directed support. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose – The Adult Support and Protection (Scotland) Act 2007 places a duty on Councils to investigate the circumstances of adults who, because of a disability, health condition or illness are unable to safeguard themselves from harm. Public partner agencies, including the NHS have a statutory obligation to bring to the attention of the Council those individuals who may be at risk of harm. Health professionals cooperate with adult protection investigations and participate in the development of adult support and protection plans, yet do not appear to be initiating adult protection referrals with the Council. Low reporting by health has also been recognised as a national issue. The purpose of this paper is to explore what promotes and what prohibits the identification and reporting of situations of abuse within the Scottish Legislative Framework. Understanding the decision-making processes of prospective reporters would potentially allow the barriers to be reduced and the supports to be strengthened. Design/methodology/approach – The research strategy is based on a literature review, a web-based survey and semi-structured interviews with health professionals within community learning and community mental health teams. Findings – The findings point to a number of inter-related factors which impinge upon the professional’s confidence to initiate adult protection referrals. Workers must first recognise harm as conduct which needs to be reported and addressed. They need to be familiar with referral procedures and be assured that their concerns will be dealt with appropriately. Health professionals are more likely to report if they are based in an environment which supports honest and open discussion regarding harm, without over-concern about agency reputation or resources. Access to multi-disciplinary consultation and support, particularly in relation to more ambiguous protection situations, was viewed as fundamental to reporting. Originality/value – This small scale study adds to a developing bank of literature providing a Scottish perspective on protecting adults. It offers some insight into reporting decisions from the viewpoint of community health professionals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper places Scottish adult support and protection (ASP) policy in the context of debates about the nature of ‘vulnerability’ and its usefulness as a defining concept in law and social policy. It examines the construction of ‘adults at risk’ in ASP policy, using a comparison with the construction of children in Scottish child protection policy, on the one hand, and women in Scottish domestic abuse policy, on the other, to illuminate the nature of the vulnerability that ASP considers itself to be addressing. It then problematises this construction, drawing both on the social model of disability and on an ethic of care. It concludes that current ASP policy remains underpinned by unhelpful assumptions about disabled people, older people and people with mental or physical health problems. A more inclusive understanding of vulnerability would be more empowering to these people and others, in policies concerned with mistreatment and abuse. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

In Scotland, the Adult Support and Protection Act of 2007 mandates effective interagency policies and activities to prevent harm to individuals unable to safeguard their own well-being, property, and rights because they are affected by 'disability, mental disorder, illness or physical or mental infirmity.' In this paper, the author examined the high proportion of adult protection referrals that resulted in ' No Further Action' ( NFA) decisions (these are referrals that did not lead to a full adult protection investigation). The review involved examining police referral data from 15 areas in Scotland as well as referral reports received over a 3-month period in one representative area. Data sources were case files, national reports, and Freedom of Information requests. Interviews conducted with key personnel were supplemented with statistical data with a view to making recommendations. Screening criteria for referral, main contributory factors in referral, and reasons for NFA decisions were analyzed. It was found that, typically, more than 40% of adult protection referrals made by the police to adult protection teams resulted in NFA decisions. Variations in the interpretation of threshold criteria were observed, and there was a perception of overreporting. The high proportion of NFA outcomes has implications for Scottish policy and practice and may offer lessons for international applications. While overreporting of cases may have implications for resources and impact on the process, the dangers of underreporting may have more detrimental implications for adults with intellectual disabilities. More robust data and recording processes are needed to determine how effectively different systems are protecting adults who are most at risk. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose -- This paper's aim is to evaluate understanding and knowledge of the Adult Support and Protection (Scotland) Act 2007 in a sample of community nurses working in learning disability services in Scotland. Design/methodology/approach -- Ten community nurses who worked in learning disability services in one NHS area were tested at two time points, four months apart using a questionnaire designed for this study by researchers and practitioners. Level of previous national training in the Adult Support and Protection Act and length of time working with people with learning disabilities were recorded. Three domains of adult protection were included in the questionnaire: Principles of the Act and definitions; Adults at risk of harm; Protection, assessment, removal and banning orders. Findings -- Questionnaire scores varied widely overall and across the three domains. There was no correlation between individual scores and training or length of work experience. The level of knowledge was below what might have been expected for this group, given the level of training and experience. Carefully designed verification of the impact of nationally approved adult support and protection training is needed. Originality/value -- There is an absence of research in evaluating the impact of the approved Scottish Government training materials on staff knowledge and understanding of the 2007 Act, with staff attendance being taken as the main measure of training compliance. This was a small scale pilot study and recommendations are made for the scope and methods of evaluation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose -- This article seeks to explore the difference that adult support and protection legislation may have made to work with adults at risk of harm in Scotland. Design/methodology/approach -- The article is based upon findings of a joint academic and practitioner qualitative research project that interviewed 29 social service practitioners across three local authorities. Findings -- The legislation was seen as positive, giving greater attention to adults at risk. Views about the actual difference it made to the practitioners' practice varied, and were more likely in new rather than ongoing work. Three differences were noted: duties of investigation, protection orders and improved shared responsibility within the local authority and across other agencies, but to a lesser extent NHS staff. Overall it gave effective responses, more quickly for the adults at risk. Whilst the law brought greater clarity of role, there were tensions for practitioners in balancing an adult's right to autonomy with practitioners' safeguarding responsibilities. Originality/value -- The paper demonstrates that a dedicated law can improve safeguarding practice by clarifying the role of social work practitioners and the responsibilities of other agencies. The right to request access to records and banning orders were seen as valuable new measures in safeguarding adults at risk. As such the study from the first UK country to use dedicated adult safeguarding law offers a valuable insight for policy makers, professionals and campaign groups from other countries, which might be considering similar action. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose -- This paper aims to describe the development and evaluation of a resource for use by practitioners to self-evaluate their policy and practice in relation to the Adult Support and Protection (Scotland) Act 2007. Design/methodology/approach -- The self-evaluation resource was developed in the context of multi-agency adult protection policy and legislation to reflect key quality indicators relevant to stakeholders, the community, practitioners and their agencies. Findings -- The quality indicators were selectively piloted by 15 of the 28 multiagency partners in Scotland. The utility of the resource was demonstrated and in some cases the outcomes led to changes in policy and practice. The effect of resource restrictions was reported to have a bearing on the utility of the resource in some partnerships. Research limitations/implications -- The quality indicators were not equally piloted with participants focusing on evaluation of case outcomes rather than wider structural and agency-wide aspects of adult protection. Practical implications -- The adult protection, self-evaluation resource has been identified as a potential means of enabling multi-agency partnerships to establish the effectiveness of their own policy and practice and offers the potential for cross-Scotland comparisons and bench marking. Social implications -- The resource provides the basis for self-evaluation and improvement in adult support and protection that will make the lives of adults at risk of harm safer . Originality/value -- An innovative approach is described to enable self-evaluation by adult protection practitioners and policy makers to judge the effectiveness of their own performance and ensure improved performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]