Child Protection Guidance 2021

Part 2A: Roles and responsibilities for child protection 69 National Guidance for Child Protection in Scotland 2021 Version 1.0 September 2021 2.198 An adult at risk is a person aged 16 or over who: • is unable to safeguard their own wellbeing, property, rights or other interests • is at risk of harm • and because he or she is affected by disability, mental disorder, illness or physical or mental infirmity, is more vulnerable to being harmed than adults who are not so affected 2.199 To ensure that individuals do not fall between eligibility and service criteria, co‑ordination and collaboration is necessary between child and adult services at both operational and strategic levels. Arrangements for linking up child and adult services in relation to support and protection must be agreed through Chief Officer’s Groups and Child and Adult Protection Committees as described above. 2.200 Adult services should be aware of the need to share concerns and work with the appropriate children’s services. Similarly, there may also be situations where an adult at risk of harm is assessed as being a risk to children; or where investigations about risk to children indicate the need for adult support and protection. Local arrangements should ensure that appropriate assessments and plans are put in place in such situations. 2.201 In respect of adult support and protection, the statutory framework governing adult protection establishes specific criteria for identifying an adult at risk. Young people identified as in need of protection will not automatically fit these criteria when they reach the age of 16, and services should ensure there is routine consideration of their ‘risk’ status. 2.202 Child and Adult Protection Committees should jointly develop robust procedures to ensure on-going support for any child about whom there are child protection concerns at the point where they move from children’s into adult services. The GIRFEC National Practice Model supports a single planning system for all children and young people up to 18 years. A child’s plan should state whether he or she is potentially an adult at risk of harm who will require on-going support, services or statutory measures. 2.203 In such circumstances there should be local processes in place for assessment and transition planning, starting no later than 12 months before school leaving age. These processes should include provision for the resolution of any disputes about the proposed support plan. These processes should also be separate from any arrangements for case transfer, which will be a matter for each agency’s respective protocols. Instead, they will underpin the transition from child protection registration into adult services and any adult support and protection arrangements. It is important that the transition processes are clearly communicated to staff in both children’s and adult services. Issues of consent are of particular significance here, as the young person may choose not to accept the services offered. 2.204 Staff working in children’s services will need training to help them identify and act on adult support and protection issues, and vice versa. Child and Adult Protection Committees will be responsible for developing joint training to meet these needs. 2.205 Some young people behave harmfully to others. Social workers should pursue a holistic consideration of wellbeing, needs and the context of the behaviours. Their needs for care and protection must also be assessed.

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