Mental Capacity

Capacity is an area I am committed to raising awareness of and supporting with.

 The Mental Capacity act  states that we should:

• Assume the person has capacity unless proven otherwise
• Support the person to make their own decisions
• Consider the person's best interests
• Choose the least restrictive option

People with communication issues are often assumed to not have capacity to make decisions within their lives. These can be large or small decisions, e.g. consent for a medical procedure , financial capacity, where to live or engagement in therapy and goals. All decisions have an impact on someone’s life and, therefore, they should be involved at whatever level possible.

 I can facilitate communication and understanding through the use of AAC, Talking mats, exploration of and support for the client’s most effective communication skills and provision of accessible information.

I can provide support building up understanding of a specific decision and the ability to communicate this understanding and that person's thoughts and feelings surrounding it. 

Key areas of support for capacity:

• Building up understanding of the decision being considered using a range of techniques
• Facilitation and support during mental capacity assessments both of understanding of the decision and communication of the client’s views and needs.
• Acting as an advocate for the client including during best interests decisions.
• Train others involved in capacity assessment to support communication issues