Briefings, reviews and reports

This tool aims to help leaders assess their current understanding of and practices related to chronologies. Challenges with chronologies are complex and connected, so this tool supports leaders to recognise readiness for change and find a place to start. It will support leaders to identify incremental, manageable changes and take meaningful actions for improvement. The tool poses questions across a number of themes to support reflection and help leaders think through the supports and barriers in their own context. It also offers prompts from research and ideas for activities.

This report focuses on people with learning disabilities and complex needs who are currently placed far from home. This might be in a hospital (exacerbated when someone's discharge is delayed) or in a care home. Returning people to their home area is a complex issue involving interrelated processes, agencies, and services, all of which must work together for better outcomes for individuals. This report outlines the transformational change needed to address this issue.

Joint inspection reports provide independent scrutiny and assurance of how partnerships ensure that adults at risk of harm are kept safe, protected, and supported. This work builds on the joint inspections undertaken in 2017-18 (and which can be found in this review from 2018).

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.

This briefing considers supervision in social work and social care. The key functions of supervision are outlined, before exploring supervision in two specific contexts: integrated settings and child protection. Although Adult Support and Protection is not explicitly covered, the messages are transferable. One model in particular - the 4 x 4 x 4 model - emphasises reflection and how supervision is located within an organisational context.

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.

This paper surveys the data, research, and sector knowledge on Large Scale Investigations. It includes reflections on complex issues such as thresholds, information sharing, and the difference between 'poor care' and 'harm'.

This paper and its findings helped contribute to the establishment of the Adult Support and Protection national Large Scale Investigation framework.

This report details how the Scottish Government is mainstreaming equality across its full range of activities. There is a specific section on Adult Support and Protection (Section 19) and the guiding principles of the Adult Support and Protection (Scotland) Act 2007.

These are the findings of a rapid evidence review of the international literature, published between 2016-2022, on trauma-informed working. The review describes the enablers that support the effective implementation of trauma-informed approaches across different systems, organisations and workforces, as well as the barriers.