The Forth Valley Appropriate Adult service is a statutory service provided by Clackmannanshire Council, Falkirk Council and Stirling Council. Stirling Council is the local authority administering the service on behalf of all three councils.
The Forth Valley Appropriate Adult Service provides communication support to people with a mental disorder aged 16 and over during legal processes. The meaning of mental disorder comes from the Mental Health Act 2003 and includes but is not limited to: mental illness, personality disorder, or learning disability. An agency may consider using this Appropriate Adult service due to the potential impact of a mental disorder during legal processes. This could lead to: misleading statements, inappropriate responses, lack of understanding of events or impede proceedings.
The role of an Appropriate Adult therefore is to facilitate effective communication between the person and the police and help the person understand what is happening. Predominantly the service is used by The Police during police processes. However, other agencies can utilise this service, such as: the British Transport Police, the Scottish Prison Service, the Ministry of Defence Police and members of the Civil Nuclear Constabulary. Stirling council has a duty to provide Appropriate Adult services to agencies across Forth Valley, however the decision to use this service lies with said agency.
To get in touch with the Appropriate Adult Service Team, please contact: