Appropriate Adult
A person required under PACE Code C to be present during the detention, treatment and questioning of a juvenile or vulnerable suspect, to safeguard their rights, entitlements and welfare — typically a parent, guardian, social worker, or other responsible adult independent of the police.
Independent editorial summary — not the official statute text. Read the official version on legislation.gov.uk.
PACE Code C explains why the role exists in a single guiding paragraph: 'The role of the appropriate adult is to safeguard the rights, entitlements and welfare of juveniles and vulnerable persons.' For a juvenile, the Code lists who can act in order of preference: first 'the parent, guardian or, if the juvenile is in the care of a local authority or voluntary organisation, a person representing that authority or organisation,' then a social worker of a local authority, and 'failing these, some other responsible adult aged 18 or over who is not:' a police officer, employed by the police, or otherwise under police direction or control. The same structure — family or carer first, a relevant professional second, an independent responsible adult as a fallback — applies to a person who is vulnerable, where the first option is 'a relative, guardian or other person responsible for their care or custody.'
The independence requirement running through all of these categories is deliberate: whoever fills the role must not be a serving or former police officer, or otherwise connected to the force investigating the case, precisely because their job is to check that the detainee's rights are being respected rather than to assist the investigation.
Official sources
This explanation is drawn from the official sources below; every substantive statement is verified against them. For advice on a specific matter, see our find help page.