Assessing Mental Capacity
The Mental Capacity Act 2005 was formulated with a view to providing clear guidelines regarding assessing the mental capacity of an individual. Lack of mental capacity can lead to loss of freedom, and others may make decisions for you. This is often a transitional point in the life of any individual.
This makes it all the more important that mental capacity must be evaluated using the correct techniques and methods. It’s important to assess an individual’s mental capacity correctly, and the conclusion should not be based on the individual’s age, appearance or disabilities, if any.
What You Will Learn in This Course:
- Why there are concerns regarding assessing mental capacity
- The relationship between mental capacity and decision-making
- An overview of the Mental Capacity Act (MCA) and how it underlies the principles of mental capacity assessment
- The two-stage assessment test and the five principles of the MCA
- Who can assess an individual’s mental capacity
- How mental capacity is time and item specific, and how it can fluctuate
The Benefits of Taking This Course:
- You will be able to appreciate the relevance of the MCA in mental capacity assessment
- You will learn how to avoid the common pitfalls, such as presumptions or prejudice when assessing mental capacity
- You will be able to make a much fairer, more reliable and unbiased assessment of mental capacity
- You will learn to differentiate between unwise decisions and lack of mental capacity and give the individual the benefit of the doubt
The outcome of a mental capacity assessment can change the course of an individual’s life by depriving them of their freedom. Therefore, it’s extremely important that the assessment process is reliable and as accurate as possible.
