Looking for legal help regarding mental health

[amccarthy]

Hi all,

I have a friend who has Autism and is Neurodivergent, she has told me it is her legal right to have a representative or social carer by her side whenever she has to deal with authority such as the police.

Is anyone here knowledgeable on these rights and is able to create a legal document that can be used to prevent this situation from happening or knows where to lead me in the right direction to find someone who can? A lot of the local solicitors here in East Anglia are either too busy or unable to provide this so I have had to expand my search.

Any help would be great. Thanks

[des8]

What situation are you wanting to prevent?

Your friend is correct in that persons on the spectrum have the right to be accompanied by an appropriate adult when being interviewed by the police.

The Equality Act (2010) requires public services to anticipate and prevent discrimination against people with disabilities, which includes autism

Wearing or carrying an Autism alert bracelet to be shown to the police should be enough to warn the officer of the extra care that needs to be taken

[amccarthy]

Thanks for the reply.

She has had issues with a house mate who I think is suffering from some kind of paranoia and has had episodes recently were he threatened and shouted at her. He has submitted his notice to leave the property this Sunday 18/12/22. She asked friends to come round and call the police so they could represent her in that emergency but instead has had the police called over without any friend showing up to be a representative.

She has meltdowns and mutism takes over whenever she is put on the spot like that with the police.

She is now worried that the police can come round at any time and wants to make sure they know they cant do that without her having a supporter there. I know the police come in emergencies but she needs a supporter there for that or it will just make things worse.

Is there a legal document that can be given to authorities such as the police to ensure her rights so she isn't caught without a representative again?

[des8]

Not sure what the problem is
Should we understand she is concerned that her housemate may cause problems when he leaves on Sunday and wants the police to attend to prevent a possible breach of the peace.
She also wants someone , a friend possibly, to be there and is concerned the police may arrive when she has no support.

All I can suggest is a simple explanatory letter she carries with her to give any officer who comes.
I don't see how one could warn every police officer in advance that a particular person has special needs

[amccarthy]

One idea is if an agreement could be made so that the police will notify someone she trusts that they plan a visit to her so the friend / supporter can get there first.

Yes I understand this is quite a special request. I do not know what is possible legally that's why I am here trying to find answers.

The point is that when the police arrive for whatever reason and she has no one there for her, she has a major meltdown. I am here on this forum just to see if there is any way legally to protect her from a sudden surprise visit.

Any way to notify the police of this extreme issue so they can work with it instead of ignoring her conditions and driving her to really painful and traumatizing states.

It is so traumatizing for her that she has now left the house and cannot go back until she knows she is safe from them, even after the housemate has left, the PTSD has got her into a state where she is now afraid if their potential sudden arrival even though they will have no reason to show up.

[des8]

Other than contacting the local police station to make them aware of your friends situation, all I can suggest is contacting the National Autistic Society
(https://www.autism.org.uk) if you haven't already done so

They do have local branches that might be able to suggest a solution