Mental Capacity Act

The following Pages have been set up to provide information and support for the implementation of the Mental Capacity Act (MCA) in Suffolk, including the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards.

For further information, publications and other websites, all covering different aspects of the Mental Capacity Act, please visit the links below.

Latest news and updates

• Mental Capacity Act update - February 2010 (easy read version) (PDF, 2.3Mb)
• Police Guidance on Responding to People with Mental Ill Health or Learning Disabilities (PDF, 870Kb)
• Mental Capacity Act update - Edition One 2010 
• What are the Mental Capacity Act Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards? (PDF, 280Kb) -  This Department of Health leaflet provides a brief general introduction to the MCA DOLS and has been specifically designed for care homes and hospitals to help staff understand what the MCA DOLS will mean for them and for their service users (December 2008)

Resources and guidance

• MCA publications and guidance documents
• Suffolk policies and guidance
• Deprivation of Liberty (including forms)
• Training information
• Newsletters and updates
• Independent Mental Capacity Advocates (IMCA)

Other useful links

• Suffolk Adult Safeguarding Board website
• Social Care Institue for Excellence (SCIE) website - Mental Capacity Act 2005 resources
• Housing Options - an independent advice and information service for people with learning disabilities.  A number of useful factsheets are available from their website.
• Office of the Public Guardian
• Ministry of Justice
• Department for Constitutional Affairs (Archive content only)