Where an adult lacks capacity to make a particular decision it sometimes falls to professional staff to make a decision for them. Until now there has been little statute law to govern how such decisions should be made. In 2007 The Mental Capacity Act comes into effect providing a new statutory framework for decision making. This book provides a practical guide to working within the requirements of the Act, identifying situations where staff will need to be familiar with the Act and Code of Practice, and providing checklists and exercises to help people to ensure compliance with the new requirements.

Detailed, precise, well-referenced, well-indexed, well-summarised, good exercises to enliven a dry subject. Excellent! (Senior Lecturer, University of Ulster)

Rob Brown is Director of the Approved Social Workers course in South West England, delivered in association with Bournemouth University. He is also the Area Mental Health Act Commissioner for Dorset and Somerset, having been a member of the Mental Health Act Commission since 1992. Rob previously worked as a Mental Welfare Officer and then an Approved Social Worker with Hampshire County Council. He has been a lecturer at Southampton University, Stirling University and Croydon College. He contributes to the training of section 12 approved doctors in South West England and South Wales. Rob has published widely in the field of mental health law. Paul Barber qualified in 1976. Until December 2003 he was a partner at Bevan Ashford Solicitors (now Bevan Brittan) where for many years he led the firm's NHS Litigation Department, increasingly specialising in the field of Mental Health and Human Rights law. He is now a Consultant to the firm and a freelance trainer and lecturer. He is extensively involved in training Approved Social Workers and lecturing on Section 12 Approval courses for doctors. He also provides training for the Mental Health Act Commission and numerous NHS Trusts and Health Authorities.