Appropriate Adult Service
Appropriate Adult Service
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Our Service:
Appropriate Adult Service
Appropriate Adult Service
365 Legal Services Ltd provides a professional Appropriate Adult service throughout the North East of England, operating 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year.
Our trained and experienced Appropriate Adults provide independent support to children and vulnerable adults, ensuring they understand the police process, their rights and what is happening throughout their detention or interview.
We are committed to safeguarding the welfare of every individual while helping to ensure that interviews and procedures are conducted fairly and in accordance with the relevant legislation and Codes of Practice.
Our Appropriate Adult Service Includes:
Our Appropriate Adult Service Includes:
Attendance at police custody suites for children and vulnerable adults.
Voluntary interviews under caution.
Return Home Interviews for children reported missing from home or care.
Witness statement support where an Appropriate Adult is required.
Age assessment support.
RSPCA interviews under caution.
Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) interviews under caution.
Court support where an Appropriate Adult is required.
Whether instructed by police forces, solicitors, local authorities, social services or other organisations, our Appropriate Adults provide a professional, reliable and responsive service at any time of the day or night.
Competative Rates:
Competative Rates:
Attendance/Waiting: £30 per hour
Travel: £10 per hour
Mileage: £0.55 per mile
*All above prices exclude VAT.
**All travel is charged from our County Durham office (DH6 2PY).
The Law:
Code C of PACE 1984 states that ‘an Appropriate Adult’ means, in the case of a:
(a) juvenile:
(i) the parent, guardian or, if the juvenile is in the care of a local authority or voluntary organisation, a person representing that authority or organisation;
(ii) a social worker of a local authority;
(iii) failing these, some other responsible adult aged 18 or over who is not:
a police officer;
employed by the police;
under the direction or control of the chief officer of a police force; or
a person who provides services under contractual arrangements (but without being employed by the chief officer of a police force), to assist that force in relation to the discharge of its chief officer’s functions,
whether or not they are on duty at the time.
Code C of PACE 1984 states that ‘an Appropriate Adult’ means, in the case of a:
(b) person who is vulnerable:
(i) a relative, guardian or other person responsible for their care or custody;
(ii) someone experienced in dealing with vulnerable persons but who is not:
a police officer;
employed by the police;
under the direction or control of the chief officer of a police force;
a person who provides services under contractual arrangements (but without being employed by the chief officer of a police force), to assist that force in relation to the discharge of its chief officer’s functions,
whether or not they are on duty at the time;
(iii) failing these, some other responsible adult aged 18 or over who is other than a person described in the bullet points in sub-paragraph (b)(ii) above.
Who is Vulnerable?
A person is now vulnerable if the police or person interviewing the individual has any reason to suspect the person may:
Have difficulty understanding the full implications or communicating effectively about anything to do with their detention; or
Have difficulty understanding the significance or things they are told, questions, or their own answers; or
Maybe prone to confusion, suggestibility, or compliance.
Maybe prone to providing unintentionally unreliable, misleading or self-incriminating information.
A child is anyone who appears to be under 18. PACE 1984 uses the term ‘juvenile’. Other areas of law refer to ‘children and young people’. However, since 2013 when 17 year olds were finally recognised as juveniles, these have all meant the same thing.
The minimum age of criminal responsibility in England and Wales is 10 years old, which one of the lowest in the world.
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