Learning Reviews

This webinar explores the challenges professionals face when individuals are "out of sight" - and what more we can do to ensure they are not out of mind, or at risk of harm.

Drawing on recent Adult Support and Protection (ASP) Learning Reviews, the webinar examines situations where services struggled to engage meaningfully with individuals at risk. Through expert insights and real-world case reflections, the webinar asks: are we truly listening, adapting, and responding in ways that meet people where they are?

Sessions in the webinar:

This review was commissioned by the Highland Adult Protection Committee (APC) in August 2021. It relates to the care and protection arrangements for three brothers, Hugh, David and Roderick McCulloch.

Themes and learning points in this review include:

* the existence of a Power of Attorney in an ASP investigation

* financial harm

* participation of family members in an ASP investigation

* use of Large Scale Investigation to investigate a perpetrator in the community.

This is a community of practice for members, sub-group members, and associate members of CPC Scotland and APC Conveners Scotland; and the Social Work Scotland ASP sub-group. It aims to provide a space for members to connect with each other, to exchange knowledge and share best practice around learning review processes, research, policy, and learning.

Please note that this is a restricted group. There is an application process and your application must be approved before accessing content.

This report is a joint national overview of learning review activity. Data in this report is drawn from learning review notifications from 19 adult protection committees (APCs) and 15 child protection committees (CPCs).

During the reporting periods, fifteen learning review reports were submitted to the Care Inspectorate for children and young people and thirteen for adults.

This is an ASPire webinar from August 2025. Its theme is sharing positive case studies and strength-based practice in Adult Support and Protection. It has sessions from Dundee HSCP (on strength-based practitioner reflection); South Ayrshire HSCP (on GIFRE - Getting It Right For Everyone); Stirling & Clacks HCSP (on hearing the family voice in Learning Reviews) and Iriss  (on focusing on the good within ASP Joint Inspection Reports).

Slides for all sessions are also attached.

This report sets out the significant themes found in Adult Support and Protection learning reviews / significant case reviews between October 2022 and November 2023. It includes information regarding notification of learning reviews, reviews the information contained in learning reviews, assesses the impact on practice, and sets out next steps / future recommendations.

An Adult Support and Protection Learning Review is a means for public bodies and office holders with responsibilities relating to the protection of adults at risk of harm to learn lessons from considering the circumstances where an adult at risk has died, or has been significantly harmed. This guidance is for Adult Protection Committees to use when considering, or undertaking, Learning Reviews.

This presentation was delivered in April 2024 to a joint Child Protection / Adult Support and Protection meeting. It explains the significant case review / learning review of Margaret Fleming, who was murdered late 1999/early 2000. The review sought to learn from Margaret's life and explicitly adopts a human rights and trauma-informed approach. The learning disability community were included within the review.

This presentation was delivered by the Care Inspectorate in April 2024 to a joint child protection / Adult Support and Protection meeting. It sets out the background to both children's and adults learning reviews, and themes that can be pulled out from each. The presentation also details the Care Inspectorate developments on aligning processes between children's and adults learning reviews, and future work.