A day in the life of a Volunteer

A day in the life of a Volunteer – Catherine from South Yorkshire Appropriate Adults

“I received a call from the Appropriate Adult Scheme Project Manager, at 11am regarding a request from South York’s Police. An Appropriate Adult needed to attend Doncaster Custody Suite to support a 39-year-old male (Brian*) with autism and learning disabilities. He had been arrested on suspicion of Criminal Damage and Section 4 Public Order Act.

At first, I thought it would be pretty straight forward. Then I was informed that Brian had told custody staff he would assault the adult and solicitor and had been hostile and aggressive. I was starting to worry about how I would handle the situation.

My Project Manager and I discussed strategies to minimise the risk of harm to ensure my safety was paramount. For example, I would not have a private consultation with Brian – but introduce myself briefly and explain my role with police officers present. Although I had been through the risk assessment, I still felt anxious but was grateful I had the time to think things through and think of possible situations that might arise.

Read the full article at www.changegrowlive.org

 

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This content was created by CGL, and first appeared on www.changegrowlive.org