Participation

The Public Bodies (Joint Working) (Scotland) Act 2014 set out the requirement for Integration Authorities to include carer and lived experience representatives on their Integration Joint Boards (IJBs). While this guidance is aimed at those working in or alongside IJBs, it contains transferable messages for anyone who wishes to strengthen lived experience representation in their organisations, forums or groups.

How social services practitioners and people engage with one another is a complex process. Practitioners are influenced by organisational cultures and processes which invite and allow certain types of responses (and not others). They are also influenced by the ability of the practitioner to relate to the person they are working with. From the supported person’s perspective, this experience can be further complicated when they experience crisis, are stressed, fearful or feel under threat.

Supported decision-making maximises an individual’s ability to ensure that their rights, will and preferences are at the centre of all decisions that concern them. This guidance is aimed at those working with people who may have difficulty making decisions - this could be due to mental illness, dementia, a learning disability, or another condition. The guidance sets out how people can be supported to ensure that decisions made by or about them genuinely reflect their choices.

This website is for members of the public to gain information about Adult Support and Protection in Scotland. It offers information about types of harm, the Adult Support and Protection (Scotland) Act 2007 and where to go for help.

These Health and Social Care Standards set out what everyone should expect when using health, social care or social work services in Scotland. They seek to provide better outcomes for everyone; to ensure that individuals are treated with respect and dignity, and that the basic human rights we are all entitled to are upheld.

The headline outcomes are:

1: I experience high quality care and support that is right for me.

2: I am fully involved in all decisions about my care and support.

3: I have confidence in the people who support and care for me.

Participation recognises the valuable contribution people can make in shaping services. This briefing highlights the positive role people's experiences (including in Adult Support and Protection) can bring in improving services.

A video supporting Adult Support and Protection professionals to put adults and carers at the centre of their work. This is a 'bitesize' version of the full online learning resource, Working together in Adult Support and Protection.

This leaflet is designed for council officers. It can be shared with adults who may be at risk (and their carers, supporters and families). Clear information about the Adult Support and Protection process is covered, including inquiry, advocacy, and case conferences. There are four formats, with identical text, all of which can be amended to include partnership branding and contact details.

Dundee City Council’s Protecting People team have ideveloped a robust trauma-informed approach when working with people with lived experience. This report describes how adults with lived experience influence and contribute to local decision-making, including in Adult Support and Protection. The report stresses a sense of opportunity when working with people who have experienced trauma, and taking a strengths-based approach. This shifts the focus from risks and limitations, and creates opportunities to hear positive stories instead.

The Adult Support and Protection (Scotland) Act 2007 is guided by a number of principles recognising the importance of adult participation. This guidance explains the Chair's role during multi-agency ASP conferences (commonly known as case conferences) in supporting this participation. This includes actions that the Chair can undertake before, during, and after the case conference. This accompanies more general guidance on participation from Scottish Borders.