Fife Multi-Agency Adult Protection Guidance - Home Page

conduct the investigative interview, statutory measures may be necessary.See Protection orders, Section 6.The council officer is permitted to enter any place where the adult resides andmay be accompanied, e.g. by a health professional, police officer, key workeror Care Inspectorate inspection officer. It is important that the adult isinterviewed in private, particularly where it is suspected that the adult may beunder undue pressure from another person. The council officer is alsopermitted to interview anyone else present.An adult must be informed, before any interview, that they are notrequired to answer any questions and have the right to refuse a medicalexamination under the Adult Support and Protection (Scotland) Act2007.4.5 The purpose of an investigationThe purpose of an adult protection investigation is to:• Establish matters of fact: what has actually happened and thenature and extent of the actual harm or risk of harm to the adult• Ascertain the adult’s views about his or her situation; the Act placesa duty on council officers to consider advocacy services• Determine whether actions are necessary to protect the adult• Complete the council officer’s investigation report, the basis ofwhich is an assessment of riskIt should be noted that there may be other investigations ongoing in parallelwith the adult protection investigation. For example, where the allegationrelates to misconduct on the part of NHS staff or a staff member within aregulated care setting, disciplinary proceedings, criminal investigations, NHSor Care Inspectorate inquiries, respectively, may also be ongoing. This actiondoes not negate the need for the social work service to also investigate andfulfil its duties under the Act. Any parallel investigation must report theirconclusions to the council officer.4.6 Distinct activities of an adult protection investigationAn investigation may include a number of distinct activities, all of which formpart of an investigation:• Interview of the adult. The police will lead any interview where there isa possibility of a crime having been committed. The police may do sojointly with the council officer if this would assist the investigation andavoid repeated interviewing. In all other cases an investigativeinterview conducted by the council officer will usually be undertakenwith a second council officer or colleague from a relevant partneragency• Medical examinations. The 2007 Act states that a medical examinationmay only be carried out by a health professional (defined as a doctor,29