• Target Group: 

    Social Workers and Care & Support Practitioners in RCT and Social Workers and Assessment and Reviewing Officers in Merthyr;. Staff with Supervisory responsibility for care managers;  Staff with clinical responsibilities in allied roles

    Aims

    To introduce and consider basic concepts in the Mental Capacity Act (MCA) including mental capacity / decision making ability, best interests and the least restrictive principle

    • To introduce the basic concept of a Deprivation of Liberty and explain how this has been affected by developments in case law
    • To discuss and demonstrate how the SSWB Act and the associated Code of Practice require care management staff to practice in a manner compliant with the provisions of the MCA 
    • To introduce possible future changes to the MCA and DoLS: the implementation of the Liberty Protection Safeguards and proposed new Mental Health Act
    • To make staff aware of local procedures, including the prioritisation of more pressing DoL applications to help them understand their responsibilities to notify potential concerns and ensure effective compliance by care home staff and in relation to hospital discharges within the scope of care management duties
    • To make staff aware of the need for applications to the Court of Protection in complex cases and in relation to placements in non-registered settings
    • To make staff aware of good practice in the face of practice and operational challenges during the Covid 19 pandemic

    NB Having attended this course, candidates would be prepared to attend the 'intermediate' level MCA course.

    Participants must be available to attend both half day sessions of this one day course

    Objectives

    By the end of the course participants will:

    • be more familiar with basic concepts of the MCA
    • Be familiar with the "Acid Test" of a Deprivation of Liberty and have participated in exercises to demonstrate its application
    • be aware of common aims and requirements between MCA/DoLS and the SSWB Act
    • Be aware of local procedures for notifying potential concerns about a Deprivision of Liberty


    • Mental Capacity Act and Deprivation of Liberty for Care Managers - RCT and Merthyr Tydfil (Basic - information and awareness) - Training Session