Mental Capacity Act 2005
A one day course for social workers/care managers and frontline workers

This course aims to deliver training on the introduction of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 to front line staff working with all adults. These staff will have duties that involve the care and support of people who lack capacity (those unable to provide informed consent in many areas of decision making) as well as social workers/care managers or other professionals who will have a role in assessing peoples capacity

The course will identify issues of capacity and consent and address those issues which have hitherto been questions of the ‘common law’ alone – best interests, necessity and duty of care. The training will outline the scope of the new legislation, the supportive guidance and its implications for professional practice. There will be the opportunity to consolidate learning through practice scenarios.

This course is designed to provide those key staff with the knowledge that they would need in order to work within the guidelines of the new Act on those day to day issues.

Learning objectives:

By the end of this course participants should be able to:

• Identify the key provisions in this new legislation and apply them directly to their professional responsibilities.
• Promote the well-being of those who lack capacity within a positive rights-based person centred perspective
• Recognise the best practice approaches to decision making in the lives of those who lack capacity
• Determine concepts such as capacity, consent, best interests and apply these to their work with users of health and social care services.

Course content:

• Decision making processes
• Whose right to decide what?
• The rights of the incapacitated person
• Essential principles of the Act
• Defining and assessing capacity
• Determining capacity and best interests
• Recording decisions/care plan referencing
• Acts in connection with Care or Treatment
• Managing an incapacitated persons affairs
• Role of the Lasting Power of Attorney
• Role of the New Court of Protection
• Role of the Public Guardian
• Appointing Court Deputies and their role
• Role of the Independent Mental Capacity Advocate (IMCA)
• Making Advance Decisions and statements
• Research (Research Ethics Committees)
• Code of Practice/Deprivation of Liberty addendum and new protocols
• Local authority responsibilities
• Case studies to facilitate learning

Training methods

• Tutor presentation
• Case studies
• PowerPoint presentation
• DVD presentation
• Handouts

CP 88 4.9