Mental Capacity Act training for professionals working with children, young people and their families 23/24

Target Group:

This training is targeted at professionals in direct contact with children who undertake or contribute to risk assessments and multi-agency meetings including social workers, family support workers, foster carers, health professionals, schools, police and others who work with children at risk of abuse, neglect and exploitation.

Group Level 2 (in regular contact with children, young people and/or parent/carer) or Level 3 (predominately 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

Course overview:

The aim of this course is to give participants an overall understanding of how the MCA applies to their day to-day work settings. The focus is 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 the end of the course, attendees will have an:

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