Learning Matters The Mental Capacity Act 2005: A Guide for Practice (Post-Qualifying Social Work Practice Series)

The Mental Capacity Act 2005 and its accompanying Codes of Practice continue to have a huge impact on mental health professionals working with some of the most vulnerable people throughout England and Wales. Whether you are a Social Worker, Best Interest Assessor, Mental Health Nurse, Doctor, Psychiatrist or an Approved Mental Health Professional (AMHP), understanding the Mental Capacity Act and its implications for practice is essential and this indispensable guide will help you do just that. The Mental Capacity Act 2005 is designed to protect and empower individuals who may lack the mental capacity to make their own decisions about their care and treatment and this bestselling book will provide invaluable support to busy practitioners needing to draw on the Act in the following ways: - Sets out the full text of the main body of the Act for quick reference - Contains practical advice and checklists for working with the Act and the main principles and Codes of Practice - Shows how the Mental Health Act and Mental Capacity Act interact so that statutory requirements can be put into practice. Written in a style accessible to all professionals, this fully updated Third Edition has been revised and enlarged to incorporate revisions to the Mental Health Act Code of Practice 2015 and the crucial impact of the Supreme Court decisions in the Cheshire West cases. About the Author Robert Brown is a social worker and a Director of Edge Training and Consultancy Ltd. He provides refresher training for AMHPs and helps to train Section 12 Approved Doctors and Approved Clinicians in South West England and Wales. He provides consultation and supervision services to Cornwall, Guernsey, Hampshire, Jersey and Reading. Rob has published widely in the field of mental health and mental capacity law; co-authoring The Mental Health Capacity Act 2005: a Guide to Practice as well as Mental Health Law in England and Wales. He was a Mental Health Act Commissioner from 1992-2010. Prior to that, Rob worked as a Mental Health Welfare Officer and then an Approved Social Worker with Hampshire County Council. He has been a lecturer at Southampton University, Stirling University and Croydon College. Rob is a Visiting Fellow at Bournemouth University and was a finalist in the British Social Work Awards 2013, Lifetime Achievement category. Paul Barber qualified in 1976. Until December 2003 he was a partner at Bevan Ashford Solicitors (now Bevan Brittan) where for many years he led the firm’s NHS Litigation Department, increasingly specialising in the field of Mental Health and Human Rights law. He is now a Consultant to the firm and a freelance trainer and lecturer. He is extensively involved in training Approved Social Workers and lecturing on Section 12 Approval courses for doctors. He also provides training for the Mental Health Act Commission and numerous NHS Trusts and Health Authorities. Debbie Martin is Unit Leader and lecturer on the new Approved Mental Health Professionals course in South West England. She currently practices as an Approved Mental Health Professional in Wiltshire and has worked as a social worker and mental health manager in Manchester. Debbie also teaches on section 12 Approval courses for doctors and provides training for the Mental Health Act Commission and various NHS Trusts, Health Authorities and Local Authorities.