Risk assessment

This investigation concerns Ms ST who had learning disabilities, cerebral palsy and diabetes, and is registered blind. She was treated in hospital following a neck fracture. Ms ST was deemed fit for discharge, however, she remained in hospital due to prolonged disagreement between family, health professionals and the Health and Social Care Partnership (HSCP) about discharge plans.

The principle that we learn from failure is important to learning and improving, and is a central reflection point when thinking about risk. However, the fear of failure remains strongly embedded in social care culture. When thinking about risk and risk assessment in Adult Support and Protection, over-cautious practice may reduce creativity and innovation. It may even act as a barrier to promoting outcomes that an adult at risk wants. This resource encourages thinking about risk in a holistic way, including considering the risk inherent in maintaining the status quo.

This resource, from the Adult Protection Shared Learning Initiative, presents a set of formats and standards intended to be used as part of a broader assessment and care planning process. The document begins with explanatory notes concerning those formats, which were developed from detailed work involving social work, health, police services and voluntary organisations. All adult care groups (older people, physical disability, learning disability, mental health, and substance use) are represented in the project work, which also drew on child protection and criminal justice experience.

This briefing intends to provoke a conversation about the power of embracing risk as a natural part of decision making. It questions a blanket definition of risk, and looks at the impact of risk-averse and risk-positive cultures. It encourages reflection on sharing risk, reflecting on professional assumptions around risk in people's lives. Part of the Iriss on... series.

This video sets out basic knowledge on hoarding behaviour. It looks at why and how people hoard, trauma, and how hoarding behaviour can run in families (including in children). It also includes material on the Clutter Rating Scale, which helps with assessing risk. The video stresses the need for time, multi-agency working, and professional curiosity to work effectively with people who hoard.

This video, presented by Lisa Cox of Scottish Fire and Rescue, defines a hoarding disorder and its key attributes. It looks at origins, prevalence, risk, assessment, and effective working with people affected by hoarding. The video also covers Diogenes Syndrome (DS).

This protocol was developed in Renfrewshire to augment the duty to refer and cooperate process in Adult Support and Protection. It outlines the processes when there is disagreement as to ASP issues. This includes disagreements related to concerns, thresholds, risk, action (or lack of action), or communication. MaREP aims to resolve a professional disagreement at the earliest stage, always keeping the adult at risk’s safety and welfare paramount. It includes, as an appendix, a 'Professional Concern/Outcome Resolution' template.

A powerpoint presentation outlining the TILS risk clarification approach. TILS stands for Type of harm, Imminence, Likelihood, Severity of impact. This presentation aids understanding of the approach, and includes several case examples where TILS can be used. This presentation accompanies the TILS template and worked case example.

This is the template for the TILS risk clarification tool (Type of harm, Imminence, Likelihood, Severity of impact). It aids practitioners to think about the information they have on risk (and what they may still need to work out). It enables plotting of risk onto a matrix, helping to inform risk assessment.

Explanation of the TILS risk clarification tool (Type of harm, Imminence, Likelihood, Severity of impact) via a worked case example. The case concerns 'John', an 80 year old man who has been found lost and confused while regularly walking outside, late at night, in cold weather.