The report and table
This report explores working with 16 and 17 year olds, who might be eligible for support through Adult Support and Protection (ASP) legislation and Child Protection (CP) guidance.
The report provides a Guidance and Legislation table, as a practical tool for social workers of all levels, and other professionals working with 16 and 17 year olds, to view the policy and guidance options available to them. This is complemented by a discussion of the tensions and challenges around supporting 16 and 17 year olds, through a qualitative understanding of some of the experiences practitioners encounter in their work with this age group.
Together, the table and the discussion begin an analysis on what the overlap in ASP and CP means for 16 and 17 year olds, and the practitioners supporting them.
Review, October 2024
A review of the report ‘Understanding age in Child Protection guidance and Adult Support and Protection legislation’ was undertaken in October 2024. The aim of the review was to gain a broad understanding of how practitioners are using this resource, where they are accessing it from; and anything users of the resource felt was missing or required to be amended. It is now available.
Learning and Development practitioners, July 2025
Following on from the review, it was highlighted that there was a role for Learning and Development (L&D) colleagues to more widely disseminate the resource with social workers in their local areas. An online session sought to capture the thoughts and experiences of L&D practitioners in using and sharing the ‘Understanding Age’ resource.
