This item was published during the term of a previous administration that ended in April 2007
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Event to improve appropriate adult schemes
16/11/2004
The Executive is to host an event next month on how best
to improve the take up and operation of appropriate adult
schemes in Scotland.
New research published shows these schemes - which
provide practical, personal support during police
interviews for people with mental disorders, are under used
and not offered to everyone who requires such help.
Representatives from Scotland's local authorities,
police, NHS and Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service
will be invited to the seminar-style event to discuss how
to take action following the Edinburgh University research.
The key findings were as follows:
- In 2002 there were 16 appropriate adult schemes
covering Scotland and 414 appropriate adults. Seventy per
cent were social workers, with the remainder coming from a
variety of professionals including nursing.
- Although there was widespread awareness of the schemes
among the professionals questioned, there were some common
misconceptions about the schemes, and a lack of clarity
about their how they worked
- There was evidence that the schemes were being under
used, suggesting that not everyone who required an
appropriate adult was offered one. For example the average
number of call outs per appropriate adult in the West of
Scotland was over 20, whereas in Ayrshire, Dumfries and
Galloway, and Shetland it was less than one. And while
total number of calls outs in 2002 was 827, 1690 people
with some form of mental disorder had proceedings brought
against them in the courts that year.
- Recording practices and monitoring varied greatly
between schemes, with only 10 of 16 recording information
on the use of appropriate adults
- There was widespread support among appropriate adults
and co-ordinators for the schemes to be placed on a
statutory basis
- Almost all appropriate adults had received training
but training among other professional groups was low. About
three-quarters of scheme co-ordinators questioned had not
received any training, despite the fact that most delivered
training to appropriate adults themselves and many of the
police officers questioned identified the need for more
training in identifying mental disorders.
The wide-ranging recommendations from research will now
be discussed at the forthcoming seminar.
Justice Minister Cathy Jamieson said:
"Appropriate adults schemes are designed to ensure that
people who have a mental disorder receive support from a
trained specialist during police interviews. Today's
research shows that the schemes reduced the stress and
anxiety of users, helped communication with the police and
increased the fairness of the criminal justice system.
However, it also shows that the schemes are under-used and
not everyone who needs such help is being offered it.
"The research also highlights a variety of other ways in
which the schemes could be improved including better
recording and monitoring practices, and improved training
for other professions in how these schemes operate.
"We can and must improve on this. The Executive will
host a one-day seminar for all those with an interest in
appropriate adult schemes - the police, local authorities,
health professionals, and the Crown Office and Procurator
Fiscal Service. This will help us work together to take
forward the report's recommendations and improve both
access to, and the quality of, appropriate adult schemes
for people with mental disorders throughout Scotland."
In 1998, the then Scottish Office issued guidance to
promote the development of appropriate adult schemes across
Scotland. Appropriate adults have an understanding of
mental disorder and are experienced and/or trained in
dealing with such conditions. They can therefore provide
support if a person with a mental disorder requires it
during police interviews.
The 1998 guidance states that if a police officer
suspects that a person being interviewed has a mental
disorder then an appropriate adult is required. This
assessment can be made by considering external information
from the interviewee's GP, carer or social worker. The
interviewee may also provide information themselves about
their mental disorder. Where unusual behaviour at
interviews occurs, the interviewer should also consider
requesting the attendance of an appropriate adult.
The Report on the Review of the Mental Health (Scotland)
Act 1984, commonly referred to as the Millan report, called
for research into the operation of appropriate adult
schemes in Scotland. Therefore in 2002, the Executive
commissioned Dr Lindsay Thompson, Senior Lecturer,
Department of Psychiatry at the University of Edinburgh to
examine their functioning, use and effectiveness.
This evaluation collected data from 514 participants
including scheme co-ordinators, appropriate adults, police
officers, legal professionals, forensic medical examiners,
forensic psychiatrists, voluntary organisations and
detainees in police custody.