Lasting Powers of Attorney

An LPA is a legal document that lets a person appoint one or more people to help them make decisions or make decisions on their behalf, if they cannot make ...

Informed consent

When permission is granted in full knowledge of the possible consequences and knowledge of the possible risks and benefits.

Independent Mental Capacity Advocates (IMCA)

An IMCA is an advocate appointed to act on your behalf if you lack capacity to make certain decisions.

Human Rights Act (1998)

A law largely incorporating into UK law the substantive rights set out in the European Convention on Human Rights.

European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR)

The ECHR protects the human rights of people in countries that belong to the Council of Europe

Deprivation of liberty

Deprivation of liberty means taking someone’s freedom away. In 2014, a Supreme Court judgement decided that someone is deprived of their liberty if they are both ‘under continuous supervision and ...

Decision-specific

An assessment of capacity is not a one-off exercise, rather capacity needs to be assessed and recorded for each decision and situation.

Court of Protection (CoP)

The CoP is a court that deals with decisions or actions under the Mental Capacity Act. Someone would need to apply to the court if someone needs permission from them ...

Court Appointed Deputy

A person may need a court-appointed deputy if they ‘lack mental capacity’ (they cannot make a decision for themselves at that time), to make decisions on their behalf.

Cognitive impairment

Cognitive impairment is when a person has trouble remembering, learning new things, concentrating, or making decisions that affect their everyday life.