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.



Course Modules/Lessons

Module 01: A Brief Overview of the Mental Capacity Act 2005

Module 02: The Five Principles That Underlie Mental Capacity Assessment

Module 03: Legal issues and the CMSL Principle

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FAQ's

  • Who can take the Assessing Mental Capacity Certification course?

    There are no entry requirements to take the course.

  • What is the structure of the course?

    The course is broken down into 3 individual modules. Each module takes between 20 and 90 minutes on average to study. Although students are free to spend as much or as little time as they feel necessary on each module.

  • Where / when can the course be studied?

    The course can be studied study at any time and from any internet connected device

  • Is there a test at the end of the course?

    Once you have completed all 3 modules there is a multiple choice test. The questions will be on a range of topics found within the 3 modules. The test, like the course, is online and can be taken a time and location of your choosing.

  • What is the pass mark for the final test?

    The pass mark for the test is 70%.

  • What happens if a user fails the test?

    If the user doesn’t pass the test first time they will get further opportunities to take the test again after extra study. There are no limits to the number of times a test can be taken.

  • How long does it take to complete the Assessing Mental Capacity Certification course?

    We estimate that the course will take about 1.75 hours to complete in total, plus an additional 30 minutes for the end of course test.