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Working effectively with the police in safeguarding vulnerable adults: sharing experience from Somerset

Document Cited in Related
Vincent
Pages6-19
DOIhttps://doi.org/10.1108/14668203200900024
Date11 December 2009
Published date11 December 2009
AuthorLindsay Shearlock,Paul Cambridge
Subject MatterHealth & social care,Sociology
6 © Pier Professional Ltd The Journal of Adult Protection 6OLUME)SSUEs.OVEMBER
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Policy and Practice paper
Introduction
The aim of this paper is to review the considerations that
inform police involvement and activities in adult protection
investigations, and the implications for inter-agency and inter-
professional collaboration in such work. The paper will also
identify ways in which the conduct of criminal investigations
can help inform adult protection work of a non-criminal nature.
Avon and Somerset Constabulary are active partners on
Somerset County Council’s Safeguarding Vulnerable Adults
Board, which has recently updated the local multi-agency
Policy and Procedures (North Somerset Safeguarding Adults
Partnership, 2008) and implemented multi-agency adult
protection training at a number of levels. In parallel, the police
are continuing to develop and extend the specialist Public
Protection Unit (PPU) model across Somerset, where the
PPUs include dedicated adult protection officers and manage
investigations relating to vulnerable adult victims (Avon and
Somerset Police, 2009).
Drawing on discussions generated from training on joint
investigations for Somerset Adult Social Care and its partner
agencies in health (see Cambridge & Parkes, 2006a for an
overview of the model), this paper identifies and discusses
a range of key considerations in working with the police on
criminal investigations. Examples of management and practice
7ORKINGEFFECTIVELYWITH
THEPOLICEINSAFEGUARDING
VULNERABLEADULTSSHARING
experience from Somerset Lindsay Shearlock
$ETECTIVE3ERGEANT6ULNERABLE6ICTIM5NIT
%AST3OMERSET0UBLIC0ROTECTION5NIT!VON AND
3OMERSET#ONSTABULARY
0AUL#AMBRIDGE
3ENIOR,ECTURER4IZARD#ENTRE3CHOOLOF 3OCIAL
0OLICY3OCIOLOGYAND3OCIAL2ESEARCH5NIVERSITY
of Kent
key words
3AFEGUARDINGVULNERABLE
adults; adult protection; police;
INVESTIGATIONS
abstract
4HISPAPERHASBEENDEVELOPED
FROMDISCUSSIONSBETWEENTHE
police and adult social care staff in
ADULTPROTECTIONTRAININGONJOINT
INVESTIGATIONSFORMANAGERSAND
practitioners in Somerset. The role of
THEPOLICEINCRIMINALINVESTIGATIONS
ISEXAMINEDANDREVIEWEDINTHE
context of wider adult protection
INVESTIGATIONS4HECASESTUDIES
ANDDISCUSSIONPOINTSAREBASEDON
experience from adult protection
INVESTIGATIONSCONDUCTEDBYTHE
%AST3OMERSET0UBLIC0ROTECTION
5NITANDAREUSEDTOIDENTIFYKEY
CONSIDERATIONSFORTHEEFFECTIVE
PLANNINGCONDUCTANDCOORDINATION
OFADULTPROTECTIONINVESTIGATIONS

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