Employee Training & Background

The Appropriate Adult Service is an equal opportunities employer, and will employ any individual who has the requisite skills and attributes to act as an appropriate adult, regardless of previous experience.

All new employees will undergo a rigorous training and interview procedure to ensure that only the most suitable candidates progress to acting as an Appropriate Adult. Many of our employees complete their appropriate adult duties in their spare time. Some are qualified Barristers, Solicitors, or Social Workers, some who are not practicing, and some of our employees are full time appropriate adults and others are retired professionals who want to put something back into their local community. We have appropriate adults from all walks of life, covering a wide range of age and experience.

In a new contract area, we will always offer employment opportunities to current appropriate adults, subject to the necessary security checks, vetting and training. This ensures some degree of continuity of service and also recognizes the hard work and dedication they have put into the role to date.

All our employees undergo an extensive training programme. Induction training in local operational and procedural matters is given to any new recruit and ongoing training is provided at quarterly intervals, to ensure that all our employees are up to date on any new laws, or issues relating to the role of the appropriate adult.

Any new employee will not be allowed to attend a police station alone until they have undergone the sufficient training, and satisfied the management that they have sufficient competence to fulfill their role as an appropriate adult.

All basic awareness training for appropriate adults include: -

The legal context in which the appropriate adult can be used
Confidentiality of the interview
Lack of privilege over information provided by interviewee to appropriate adult
Description of the role of an appropriate adult before, during and after a police interview
Description of role of an appropriate adult at precognition, court and other settings
Need to leave any professional role behind
Do's and don'ts of appropriate adults
Recognition of terms used within interview situation
Description of court procedures
Appropriate adults and conflicts of interest
Police procedures relating to juveniles and mentally disordered people, including arrest and custody
Police interview procedures including the taking of voluntary statements
Access to legal representation
Identification parades
Intimate searches
Effective communication and listening skills
Negotiation Skills
Dealing with Challenging behaviour
Good Practice in dealing with people with Mental Illness
Report writing and observation techniques
Role of Solicitor vs role of Appropriate Adult
Data Protection
Equal Opportunities
Body Language
Health & Safety
Youth Justice System
Reprimands & Final Warnings

The ongoing training would include: -

Study of legal precedents of cases involving appropriate adults
Role playing in interview situations
Understanding the needs and responses of juveniles and mentally disordered people
Police procedures for dealing with mentally disordered people and juveniles

Only the most suitable candidates progress to acting as an Appropriate Adult.

All employees undergo an extensive training programme.

New employees must have sufficient competence to fulfil their role as an appropriate adult.

Checks & Vetting

All The Appropriate Adult Service employees are checked through the Criminal Records Bureau. All employees are required to complete an enhanced disclosure form, and they are not allowed to attend police stations alone until the results of the disclosure has been received.

On their application every employee is asked to provide two references, both of which are checked and verified before anyone is employed by The Appropriate Adult Service.

Due to the employment status of our Appropriate Adults, and the fact that we pay for our disclosures, all checks are usually received back in the office within 10-14 days. This means that any new contract will not be unduly delayed by waiting for the C.R.B checks to be returned.

Again this is a major difference between us and voluntary based schemes. Volunteer organizations do not pay for their C.R.B checks and can be left waiting for weeks or months before the completed disclosures are received. This could mean that once you have decided to enter into a scheme, you could be left waiting for long periods before the service can be provided.