The development and piloting of the Self-evaluation of Adult Support and Protection Activity in Scotland: Resource handbook

Purpose - This paper aims to describe the development and evaluation of a resource for use by practitioners to self-evaluate their policy and practice in relation to the Adult Support and Protection (Scotland) Act 2007. Design/methodology/approach - The self-evaluation resource was developed in the context of multi-agency adult protection policy and legislation to reflect key quality indicators relevant to stakeholders, the community, practitioners and their agencies. Findings - The quality indicators were selectively piloted by 15 of the 28 multiagency partners in Scotland. The utility of the resource was demonstrated and in some cases the outcomes led to changes in policy and practice. The effect of resource restrictions was reported to have a bearing on the utility of the resource in some partnerships. Research limitations/ implications - The quality indicators were not equally piloted with participants focusing on evaluation of case outcomes rather than wider structural and agency-wide aspects of adult protection. Practical implications - The adult protection, self-evaluation resource has been identified as a potential means of enabling multi-agency partnerships to establish the effectiveness of their own policy and practice and offers the potential for cross-Scotland comparisons and bench marking. Social implications - The resource provides the basis for self-evaluation and improvement in adult support and protection that will make the lives of adults at risk of harm safer. Originality/value - An innovative approach is described to enable self-evaluation by adult protection practitioners and policy makers to judge the effectiveness of their own performance and ensure improved performance.