This paper places Scottish Adult Support and Protection (ASP) policy in the context of debates about the nature of 'vulnerability' and its usefulness as a defining concept in law and social policy. It examines the construction of 'adults at risk' in ASP policy, using a comparison with the construction of children in Scottish child protection policy, on the one hand, and women in Scottish domestic abuse policy, on the other, to illuminate the nature of the vulnerability that ASP considers itself to be addressing. It then problematises this construction, drawing both on the social model of disability and on an ethic of care. It concludes that current ASP policy remains underpinned by unhelpful assumptions about disabled people, older people and people with mental or physical health problems. A more inclusive understanding of vulnerability would be more empowering to these people and others, in policies concerned with mistreatment and abuse.  Ideas about vulnerability in ASP policy are more similar to ideas about children in child protection policy than ideas about women in domestic abuse policy. However, there are differences between ASP and child protection as well.  ASP policy could say more about oppression.  The three policies, and their separation from each other, are based on the idea that some people are 'vulnerable' and some people are not. It might be more helpful to challenge that idea. Points of interest

Purpose: The purpose of the paper is to discuss how adult support and protection (ASP) work might support or further damage an adult's strengths, skills and sense of self. There is a particular focus on adults who require some support with decision-making.Design/methodology/approach: Forum theatre and other creative techniques were used to discuss ASP with 42 people who access support. A range of advice for practitioners was generated, a portion of which is reported here. The research design was participatory, with ten people who access support being members of the research team.Findings: ASP work can support or undermine an adult's strengths, skills and sense of self, depending on the way it is performed. Three inter-locking themes are presented to illustrate this finding. First, participants thought it might be intimidating to be "singled out", and wished to be understood in the context of their relationships. Second, ASP was thought likely to be experienced as a judgement on the person and their problem-solving skills. Third, people wanted to be "really listened to" and acknowledged as a person with preferences and strengths.Practical implications: It is important for practitioners to be mindful of the process of ASP work, as well as of its outcomes. Ways must be found to keep the person central, and to maintain and develop their strengths and sense of self.2 Originality/value: The perspectives of adults actually or potentially affected by ASP have been underresearched. This study adds substantially to the available evidence.

Summary This article presents Scottish adult safeguarding as a case study to illuminate some challenges of building knowledge for policy and practice based on service user and carer voices. It draws on five of our own research projects that have evaluated implementation of Scottish adult safeguarding legislation and/or asked more exploratory questions about risk, safety and support. Findings We show how practical and ethical issues limited our more evaluative lines of inquiry. We then show how increasingly participative approaches led to studies that were more accessible and that connected more deeply with service users’ and carers' lives, but that also faced greater challenges in the translation of their findings back into the policy and/or practice environment. Applications We conclude with an argument for ongoing dialogue between policy-makers, professionals, service users and carers, researchers, educators and students about knowledge, its different forms and sources, its generation and its use.

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Structured abstractPurpose: This paper considers independent advocates' perspectives on their roles in Scottish Adult Support and Protection (ASP) work, and the facilitators and barriers impacting on these roles in practice.Design/methodology/approach: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with twenty managers and staff from six independent advocacy agencies operating across nine local authority areas.Findings : Participants described key roles in supporting individuals to understand their rights and to negotiate ASP processes. They conceptualised their independence to be the key distinguishing feature of their role.Participants noted lower than expected rates of referral of ASP concerns to advocacy and variable experiences of communication with the statutory services. Particular emphasis was placed on the late stage at which many referrals are received. Awareness, understanding and acceptance of advocacy amongst the statutory services was felt to vary at both practice and strategic levels. Research limitations/implications:The sample is not a representative one. However, some commonalities are worthy of note: particularly the participants' commitment to ASP work and the perceived impact of statutory agencies on their involvement in it. The issue of late referrals merits some consideration at a national level. Issues of awareness and understanding amongst the statutory services, and their links with referral rates, are for further local-level exploration. The independent advocacy community might wish to discuss further the impacts on them of incorporation into statutory frameworks.Originality/value: Advocacy perspectives have been little drawn on in pre-existing ASP research.