The Criminal Justice (Scotland) Act 2016 (Support for Vulnerable Persons) Regulations 2019

Meaning of appropriate adult support

3.—(1) For the purposes of Chapter 2 of Part 6 of the 2016 Act and these Regulations, “appropriate adult support” includes support of the sort mentioned in paragraph (2) for vulnerable persons during a criminal investigation by the police where—

(a) The vulnerable person—

(i) is or appears to be the victim of an offence or alleged offence,

(ii) is a witness or potential witness in relation to an offence or alleged offence,

(iii) is suspected of committing an offence or alleged offence or,

(iv) is officially accused of committing an offence or alleged offence,

(b) a constable believes that the vulnerable person is 16 years of age or over and,

(c) intimation of the matters mentioned in paragraph (3) is sent by the police to a provider of appropriate adult support.

(2) That is, support to—

(a) help the vulnerable person to understand what is happening, and

(b) facilitate effective communication between the vulnerable person and the police.

(3) Those matters are—

(a) that appropriate adult support is, in the view of the constable, required by the vulnerable person, and

(b) the place where the appropriate adult support is required.