A steely determination to help others – Jan's Appropriate Adult story

Being a nurse in Saudi Arabia during the first Gulf War didn’t faze Orkney’s Jan Buchanan. 

It’s that kind of steely determination to help others that saw her become a volunteer with the Orkney Appropriate Adult Service. 

Jan said: “As a nurse you care, and you have seen and experienced pretty much everything. I wanted to give something back to the community and becoming an Appropriate Adult allowed me to do that.” 

Appropriate Adults are called upon, usually by the police, to provide communication support to vulnerable victims, witnesses, suspects and accused people, aged 16 and over. The police will assess and decide if an Appropriate Adult is required to be present during an interview – that could be for any number of reasons – such as autism, dementia or mental health issues. 

The Appropriate Adult service in the county has been moved from being voluntary to statutory and brought under the umbrella of Orkney Health and Care (OHAC) following a Scottish Government move to standardise the service. 

Jan is moving over to the “new” service and while it can be a challenging role, she says it’s also very rewarding. 

“I wouldn’t have been doing it for the past ten years if it wasn’t. But it’s not for the faint of heart and you do need to have certain attributes. You have to be able to listen and observe and it’s really important not to make any judgement. You need to be confident and the more life experiences you have had yourself, the better. 

“Some of what you hear through the interview process can be tough, but your role is to make sure that person understands what is being asked of them. 

“I come away feeling I have achieved something and certainly hope I have helped by being there. That’s a good feeling.” 

If you would like to find out more about becoming an Appropriate Adult please get in touch withCallan Curtis, Public Protection Lead Officer with Orkney Health and Care on (01856) 873535 extension 2604 or email: callan.curtis@orkney.gov.uk. 

To read more about the service head here: https://www.orkney.gov.uk/News?postid=9032