NIASW members urged to join debate on Mental Capacity Bill for Northern Ireland.

NIASW is urging members to attend a seminar to discuss the current consultation on the proposed Mental Capacity Bill for Northern Ireland.

The proposed Bill could provide a new, potentially progressive and non-discriminatory, legislative framework for how specific decisions should be made for people who lack the capacity to do so. It has implications for social work practice across all programmes of care.

The planned legislation includes proposals for how the current role of Approved Social Workers will be developed but also how routine and serious decisions should be made across all settings for people who lack the capacity to do so.

It will also require that a range of supports and safeguards are in place to ensure that people’s autonomy and rights are respected as far as possible.

It is crucial that the views of social workers are included in the consultation process. In order to facilitate NIASW’s response to the consultation, two seminars have been organised:

The first takes place at Magee campus, University of Ulster, (Room MF138) on Tuesday 27 May from 11am-1pm.

The second takes place at Queen’s University in the School of Sociology, Social Policy and Social Work (Room OG/026) on Thursday 29 May from 11am-1pm.

If you would like to attend either please email Amanda Beattie at a.beattie@basw.co.uk or telephone on 028 9064 8873