The Promise
Scotland's ambition for young people is that “we grow up loved, safe, and respected so that we realise our full potential.” The Promise is built on these foundations:

Scotland's ambition for young people is that “we grow up loved, safe, and respected so that we realise our full potential.” The Promise is built on these foundations:
This statement offers principles and guidance to support the provision of supervision for all Allied Health Professions (AHPs) and AHP Health Care Support Workers (HCSWs) working across health and social care in Scotland. Effective supervision can contribute to the continued development of healthy organisational cultures, ensure sustainable AHP practice, the embedding of emerging AHP roles and support staff engagement and morale. Ultimately this has a positive impact on the people who use services, including adults at risk of harm.
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.
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.
GPs and General Practice staff are well placed to identify adults at risk of harm. They are a vital component in the multi-agency arrangements to support and protect where necessary. This guidance is to support GPs and General Practice staff when they may have need to refer to the Act. It should be used in conjunction with the main Adult Support and Protection Code of Practice.
The National Adult Support and Protection Co-ordinator (NASPC) for Scotland is committed to making ASP work better for people and practitioners. This website is regularly updated with ASP news, useful resources, and blogs on all aspects of ASP in Scotland. There is also a link to sign up to the NASPC newsletter.
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.
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.