Mental Capacity Act Training for Professionals Working with Children, Young People and their Families 24/25

Target Group:

This training is targeted at Group Level 2 (in regular contact with children, young people and/or parent/carer) or Level 3 (predominantly working with children) as set out in the Safeguarding Competency framework in London Safeguarding Child Procedures. NHS Inter-Collegiate Standards 2 and 3 for health professionals who work for the London Borough of Sutton.

Aims:

The aims of this session are:

• To give participants an overall understanding of how the MCA applies to their day-to-day work settings.
• To focus on the ability (i.e. “mental capacity”) of adults to make informed decisions in relation to their children and how the MCA relates to young people aged 16 and 17.

Learning Objectives:

By attending this course, participants will have:

• An Improved knowledge of the Mental Capacity Act, and be able to explain why and how it was introduced;
• An improved knowledge about the five principles of the Act’s Code of Practice and understand what is meant by “capacity”;
• An improved knowledge about how to assess whether someone does or does not have capacity;
• An improved knowledge about the new criminal offence of “ill-treatment or wilful neglect”;
• An improved knowledge of how the Act protects workers from being prosecuted, and service users from being abused; 
• An improved knowledge of the purpose of an Advance Decision and Lasting Power of Attorney and be able to apply to practice;
• An improved knowledge of the powers of the Court of Protection and the Office of the Public Guardian and be able to list the functions;
• An improved knowledge of the role of the Independent Mental Capacity Advocate (IMCA) and how it applies in practice;
• An improved knowledge of the importance of record keeping to support all decisions;
• An improved knowledge of case law through exploring examples that have been heard in the Court of Protection, particularly ones relating to anyone aged 16+ who lacks the capacity to consent to sex, or have a child, or care for a child;
• An improved knowledge about how issues of capacity to consent affect young people aged 16 and 17.