Calling on the Scottish Parliament to urge the Scottish Government to commission a national review into the misapplication of Unacceptable Actions Policies (UCAP) across local authorities and their impact on safeguarding and equality compliance. Such a review should consider whether there is a need to:
a) develop statutory guidance clarifying the interface between the Adult Support and Protection (Scotland) Act 2007 (ASPA 2007) and local authority complaints or behavioural policies;
b) strengthen enforcement powers for the Scottish Public Services Ombudsman (SPSO) and/or create an independent Safeguarding and Equality Oversight Body to ensure compliance with both ASPA 2007 and Equality Act 2010; and
c) mandate uniform training and reporting standards across all councils to ensure equality and safeguarding are treated as statutory, not discretionary, obligations.
Petitioner: Steven Fawcett
Status: Under consideration
Date published: 17 June 2026
Click here to view and sign the full petition
10 September 2026: The Committee agreed to write to the Scottish Public Services Ombudsman for further evidence.
Meeting of the Public Petitions Committee, 10 September 2026
PE2212/A: Scottish Government written submission, 12 August 2026 (93KB, pdf) posted 20 August 2026
PE2212/B: Petitioner written submission, 28 August 2026 (88KB, pdf) posted 02 September 2026