Mental Capacity Act Training – Assessing Mental Capacity and Best Interests

‘The Mental Capacity Act 2005 (the Act) provides the legal framework
for acting and making decisions on behalf of individuals who lack the
mental capacity to make particular decisions for themselves. Everyone
working with and/or caring for an adult who may lack capacity to make
specific decisions must comply with this Act when making decisions
or acting for that person, when the person lacks the capacity to make
a particular decision for themselves.’
MCA Code of Practice para 1.1

Somerset County Council’s Adult Social Service has a statutory responsibility for assessment and care planning in relation to people who may need its services. A central consideration in all assessments is the mental capacity of the service user to make their own decisions.

The County Council is required to have all adult social care staff adequately trained to carry out this work.

SCC is looking for a company who can provide a two day Assessing MCA and Best Interests course and a one day MCA Legal and Practice Update course in accordance with the stated aims and objectives within this QQ.

The requirement is for:

• A two day Assessing MCA and Best Interests course, providing staff with the necessary knowledge and skills to be able to confidently assess capacity and contribute to establishing a service user’s best interests in accordance with the provisions of the Mental Capacity Act. This is not a basic MCA awareness course. It is proposed to deliver this course five times during the period October 2016 to September 2018 to a maximum of 20 people on each occasion.

• A one day Mental Capacity Act legal and practice update for staff who have attended the initial two day course. It is proposed to deliver this course 20 times during the period October 2016 to September 2018 to a maximum of 20 people on each occasion.

The exact number of deliveries for each course may need to be varied according to demand.