Research
The architecture of structural irrationality in adult safeguarding
A Research Investigation
A statutory regime designed to protect vulnerable adults from harm appears, by the structural logic of its incentives, to be associated with significant harm of its own. The pattern is recognisable across England, and Bristol provides an unusually well-documented case study. This is the diagnostic essay of the Adult Safeguarding Review series, drawing on organisational theory, the academic literature on defensive practice, and the empirical record across Ombudsman decisions, Safeguarding Adults Reviews, and regulatory audits.
By Antisocial Care
Data
Bristol is in the top decile of unitary authorities for upheld complaints per capita
A Comparative Investigation
A two-year analysis of all 151 English councils with adult social services responsibilities, using Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman data, finds Bristol ranks 6th of 62 unitaries on upheld decisions per 100,000 residents, with a per-capita rate 60% above the unitary peer-group mean.
By Antisocial Care