Appropriate Adults

In English law, an appropriate adult is a parent, guardian or social worker; or if no person matching this is available, any responsible person over 18. The term was introduced as part of the policing reforms in the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 and applies in England and Wales.

In England and Wales, an appropriate adult must be called by police whenever they detain or interview a child (Under the age of 18) or vulnerable adult. They must be present for a range of police processes, including interviews, intimate searches and identification procedures, as detailed in the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 (PACE) Codes of Practice, primarily Code C.

In relation to children, appropriate adult is defined in primary legislation under section 38(4)(a) of the Crime and Disorder Act 1998, which defines the role as being "to safeguard the interests of children and young persons detained or questioned by police officers." The Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 section 63B(10) states that in relation to a 'juvenile' (Under the age of 18) (On 26 October 2015 amendments made to section 42 changed the age of "arrested juvenile" to "Under 18") an appropriate adult should be:

Local authority Youth Offending Teams (YOTs) have a statutory duty to provide an appropriate adult for all children under the Crime and Disorder Act 1998 s.38(4)(a). This is carried out whenever parents are unavailable, unwilling or inappropriate to act as appropriate adult. Depending on the local authority, this may be carried out by YOT staff, sessional workers, community volunteers or contracted out to a specialist charity or business.

The role includes:

Appropriate adults are also required whenever mentally vulnerable adults are detained in custody. However, there is no statutory provision for vulnerable adults and formal schemes are not available in all parts of England and Wales.

...
Wikipedia