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There to help: ensuring provision of appropriate adults for mentally vulnerable adults detained or interviewed by police
- Authors:
- BATH Chris, et al
- Publisher:
- National Appropriate Adult Network
- Publication year:
- 2015
- Pagination:
- 19
Examines current appropriate adult (AA) arrangements for vulnerable adults, identifying shortcomings in provision, and setting out recommendations for ensuring provision for all who need it. This briefing paper is based on a research project which entailed a review of existing literature and law, new data from police forces, liaison and diversion services, AA services and custody officers and interviews and consultation involving senior stakeholders and individuals with direct experience of the criminal justice system. The paper highlights that there are significant shortcomings in current AA provision, particularly in terms of inadequate police practices and limited availability and variable quality of AAs. Many vulnerable adults do not receive the support of an AA or receive it only for part of the custody process. The underlying causes of these findings include: the absence of statutory duties either to secure or to provide AAs for vulnerable adults; lack of appropriate training and screening tools for police; time pressures in the custody suite; diminishing public sector funding and a lack of clarity over responsibility for commissioning. On the basis of a conservative estimate, 11 per cent of adult suspects require an AA. The annual cost of ensuring full provision of trained AAs from organised schemes, throughout the custody process and across England and Wales, is estimated at £19.5 million (£113,000 per local authority). Current national spending on AA provision for adults is estimated to be in excess of £3 million per year. The report calls for the development of a new approach at a national strategic level and a vision shared by relevant departmental bodies, agencies and organisations. (Edited publisher abstract)
There to help: ensuring provision of appropriate adults for mentally vulnerable adults detained or interviewed by police
- Authors:
- BATH Chris, et al
- Publisher:
- National Appropriate Adult Network
- Publication year:
- 2015
- Pagination:
- 88
- Place of publication:
- Ashford
Report to examine appropriate adults (AA) arrangements for vulnerable adults who are detained or interviewed by police, identify shortcomings in provision and present recommendations for ensuring full AA provision for all vulnerable adults. The project involved a review of existing literature and law; data collected from police forces, liaison and diversion services, AA services and custody officers; and interviews and consultation involving senior stakeholders and individuals with direct experience of the criminal justice system. The main findings identified significant shortcomings in current AA provision for mentally vulnerable adult suspects, particularly in terms of: inadequate police practices with respect to identification of suspects’ vulnerabilities and the need for AAs, and the recording of relevant data; limited availability of AAs; variable quality of AAs. It found that many vulnerable adults did not receive the support of an AA or receive it only for part of the custody process. Barriers to the provision of adequate services included: the absence of statutory duties either to secure or to provide AAs for vulnerable adults; lack of appropriate training and screening tools for police; time pressures in the custody suite; diminishing public sector funding and a lack of clarity over responsibility for commissioning. The report makes 10 recommendations to improve the level and quality of provision. (Edited publisher abstract)