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This suite of Easy Read leaflets supports adults to understand, and participate in, the Adult Support and Protection process. The core set of four leaflets, 'What is Adult Support and Protection?', explains different parts of the ASP process. Other leaflets include information on advocacy, domestic abuse, exploitation, internet safety, consent, and self-neglect/hoarding.

These leaflets were created with local people. They have been based on their experiences and the questions they had about the ASP process.

This guide aims to help people working with adults who have mild or moderate learning disabilities or significant learning needs. It explains how to recognise gender-based violence, and how to respond in a sensitive and suitable way.

This short video is an explanation of what cuckooing is. It uses the example of Ali, a vulnerable adult whose flat was taken over by people so that they could use it as a base for dealing substances.

The video was made by an English local authority (Waltham Forest) but its messages are also relevant in a Scottish context.

The joint inspections programme is led by the Care Inspectorate. It provides independent scrutiny and assurance of how partnerships ensure that adults at risk of harm are kept safe, protected, and supported. Good practice is also identified, supporting improvement more generally across Scotland. All the joint inspections of partnerships are published on the Care Inspectorate's website, accessed via the link.

Most recent joint inspections:

Renfrewshire (Mar 2025)

Following the report Chronologies in Adult Support and Protection: Moving from current to best, these case studies highlight good practice. They cover changes in the system (recording, training, guidance, analysis, risk assessment), exploring these as levers to affect change. By sharing these examples (and building more over time), the intent is inspire others to try different approaches to chronologies.

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.

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.

Duty of candour is a professional responsibility to be honest with people. It means being open and transparent in health and social care support. It also means that services must say sorry when things go wrong. The Duty of Candour Procedure (Scotland) Regulations 2018 came into force on 1 April 2018. These regulations apply when there is an event which causes unintended, or unexpected, harm to an individual receiving a health or care service.

This briefing looks at how legislation, policy, and services use the term ‘abuse’ and related terms such as 'victim'. Use of words surrounding abuse is complex, because how we talk about abuse can vary across contexts. It is also dynamic, because societal understanding of abuse has changed over the past decades. This briefing unpicks the different meanings the language of abuse can have - and how they have impacted policy and practice. Part of the Iriss outline series.