Adult support and protection improvement plan 2019-2022

Foreword

I am very pleased to welcome and endorse this improvement plan on behalf of the Scottish Adult Support and Protection Independent Conveners Association.

We are now into the second decade of Adult Support and Protection (ASP) in Scotland. Over the past 12 years a wide range of agencies and individuals from the statutory, voluntary and third sectors have worked together in partnerships across Scotland to embed the support and protection of adults at risk of harm into everyday practice. This has been led by Chief Officers and Adult Protection Committees at a local level, and protecting adults from harm is now a hugely significant part of day to day work across Scotland.

We have sought to learn from experience. Practice development has been informed nationally by an updated Code of Practice and by interagency self-evaluation and audit activities at local level. The Thematic Inspection of ASP, published in 2018, took place across six partnerships and was undertaken by The Care Inspectorate and Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary for Scotland, assisted by Healthcare Improvement Scotland. This has been a welcome and centrally important piece of work. It is a significant recognition at a national level that scrutiny of practice is essential for robust assurance of practice standards, for identifying national themes and priorities, and for enriching and complementing the learning that takes place locally.

The Scottish Government Improvement Plan is a clear indication of the high priority that is given to ASP nationally and is a further stage in the development of policy and practice for ASP. The plan builds on the findings of the Thematic Inspection and on current best practice locally. It reflects the importance of interagency commitment and collaboration and will be a key element of work across Scotland over the coming years to ensure that we all as individuals, agencies and partnerships do everything in our power to protect adults from harm.

John Paterson – Chairperson, Scottish Adult Support and Protection Independent Conveners Association