Resources to resolve your mental capacity and DoLS practice issues

Mental capacity assessments, best interests decisions and issues around deprivation of liberty are complicated practice areas tied up in complex court rulings and the Mental Capacity Act 2005. This is why Community Care Inform Adults has produced a set of resources to help practitioners navigate these areas, resolve practice conundrums and become more able to defend their practice in court.

Key subject areas

Our mental capacity and deprivation of liberty knowledge and practice hub includes at-a-glance guides and more in-depth resources; practice advice and legal guidance; training exercises and multi-media learning. It is broken down into the key subject areas of assessing capacity, making best interests decisions and deprivation of liberty, and also includes a dedicated section for best interests assessors to improve their skills and knowledge.

The level to which social workers are struggling with Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS) cases was laid bare in a legal challenge launched by four local authorities against the Department of Health earlier this month for failing to provide sufficient funding for DoLS.

Included in the judicial review application were concerns about the pressures being placed on social workers, especially best interests assessors, as they strive to protect people’s rights amid diminishing resource. In this context, and with Court of Protection cases on the rise, being able to understand the law and how it can be applied in practice becomes increasingly important.

Fundamental principles

Our hub will help you understand the fundamental principles behind a capacity assessment and how to arrive at a best interests decision, and when a restriction of liberty becomes a deprivation of liberty. It also includes a video interview with Mr and Mrs E, the carers of HL in the infamous Bournewood case, an assessment training exercise, and even DoLS bingo!

The hub has been produced by experts including MCA/DoLS trainers Steven Richards, of Edge Training & Consultancy, and Elmari Bishop. Inform Adults subscribers can access it for free now.