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Mental Capacity and Deprivation of Liberty
3 students
Mental Capacity and Deprivation of Liberty
Legal, Ethical and Professional Practice in Health and Social Care
Created byDeborah Casey
Last updated 12/2025
English
What you'll learn
- Students will learn about the UK mental capacity act and deprivation of liberty safeguard safeguards.
- Students will learn about upcoming changes to deprivation of liberty safeguards.
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Course content
5 sections • 42 lectures • 2h 51m total length
Requirements
- Students require time, attention, interest and an internet connection along with equipment to access the platform. Please note that as the internet is undergoing reform to 5G that the weather and other variables will affect the signals and that 4G tends to be much more reliable.
Description
In the UK, the Mental Capacity Act 2005 came into force in 2007. The Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS) were introduced to protect vulnerable people who lack capacity, ensuring their rights to freedom, dignity, and independence are upheld while also safeguarding them from actual or potential harm.
These safeguards provide essential guidance for health and social care professionals at all levels, whether working in public settings such as the NHS or private and independent care environments.
DoLS are due to be replaced by the Liberty Protection Safeguards (LPS) (subject to implementation).
As a health or social care team member working with adults in need (often referred to as vulnerable adults), it is essential to have a clear understanding of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 and Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards. This knowledge enables you to take appropriate action and to protect both the welfare and freedom of choice of those in your care.
How This Course Is Delivered
This course is delivered using a voice-over, still-image PowerPoint presentation, supported by written materials.
The format is designed to support a range of learning styles and to make the content accessible and easy to follow.
What This Course Provides
Power point video
Textual reading
Student manual with reflective prompts
Lifetime, unlimited access to all training materials
Approximately 2 hours of training
A Udemy Certificate of Completion
Optional Certificate of Completion from course provider
Links to additional resources to support and broaden learning
Learning Outcomes
By the end of this course, you will have a broad understanding of:
What the Mental Capacity Act 2005 is and how it is applied
Your key responsibilities under the Act, including the five statutory principles
What Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS) are, with an introductory overview of the Liberty Protection Safeguards (LPS)
The differences between deprivation, restriction, and restraint
The basics of capacity assessment and best-interest decision-making
Upon completion, you will receive a Udemy Certificate of Completion.
Who this course is for:
- This course is suitable for students who works directly with adults in need who lack the capacity to make particular decisions for themselves, and who are required to act on their behalf. It also applies to people who work with adults in need and who may, in the future, encounter adults who lack the capacity to make their own decisions. The Mental Capacity Act places responsibilities on anyone who looks after or cares for someone who lacks capacity to make decisions.
- This includes health care personnel roles such as: doctors, nurses, therapist such as physiotherapists, phlebotomists, care workers and health care assistants, healthcare staff, social care staff, family members, friends and carers and lastly housing workers.
- This course is for everyone in the UK who works in the health and social care setting, it is for doctors, nurses, teachers, social workers, therapists, including holistic therapists, family, friends and others who look after and support a vulnerable person or a person who is limited in being able to make their choices and decisions made known. This course is also for those people who may be viewed as vulnerable and who have safeguards in place, to promote their rights and to empower them, with knowledge so they too will understand, where possible, what the process is about and how it is applied and you are the person to support them with this.