Centre for Policy on Ageing



Problems with the term and concept of 'abuse' — critical reflections on the Scottish Adult Support and Protection study
Author(s)	Fiona Johnson
Journal title	British Journal of Social Work, vol 42, no 5, July 2012
Pages	pp 833-850
Source	http://bjsw.oxfordjournals.org
Keywords	Adults ; Elder abuse ; Social policy ; Research ; Scotland.
Annotation	This paper critically reflects on the Scottish Adult Support and Protection (ASP) study, a research project conducted at a time when 'adult protection' was understood in Scottish policies to be the professional response to 'abuse'. During the course of analysing the ASP study data, it became apparent that concerns described by practitioners as alleged 'abuse' and concerns that they judged to require an 'adult protection' response did not always coincide. Some examples are recounted to illustrate the potentially more partial, less linear relationship between these categories in practice than in policy constructions. The paper concludes with suggestions for further research into professionals' constructions of 'adult protection' concerns. It explains why such research would have continuing, if not greater, relevance in the context of recent Scottish policy moves to reconceptualise adult protection as a response not to 'abuse', but to 'harm'. (JL).
Accession Number	CPA-120911002 A
Classmark	SD: QNT: TM2: 3A: 9A
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...from the Ageinfo database published by Centre for Policy on Ageing.