Hoarding & Self Neglect - Law & Good Practice Training

EARLY BIRD BOOKING RATE AVAILABLE NOW!

Aims

This practice-based course looks in depth at an issue that is commonly encountered by health practitioners and social workers and which has no easy answers. It reviews the relevance of the Mental Health and Mental Capacity Acts and the Care Act 2014, considers the involvement of environmental health, and discusses local issues.

Learning outcomes  

By the end of the course participants will have a better understanding of:

• the causes of hoarding behaviour and messages from research;
• how to approach a hoarding case in the light of Article 8 of the ECHR;
• when it is appropriate to use a Mental Health Act admission or guardianship to protect those who hoard and self-neglect;
• the relevance of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 & the Court of Protection;
• how the Care Act duties apply to hoarding cases;
• public health law and working effectively with environmental health and other agencies.

Programme

The day will include the following key topics:

• Key issues for participants
• What is hoarding?
• Causes of hoarding and messages from research
• Role of safeguarding
• The Coomeraswamy inquest
• Local policies and procedures
• When is the Mental Health Act (admission, guardianship) appropriate?
• How can you protect other people?
• Landlords’ powers.
• When is the Mental Capacity Act appropriate?
• Best interests
• Role of the Court of Protection
• Duties under the Care Act 2014
• Role of environmental health: legal powers and issues in practice
• What works? - participants’ experiences

Teaching ethos and methods

All Edge courses focus on the application of law in practice.  Teaching methods include slide presentations, case studies, quizzes, other exercises and handouts. Our training is interactive allowing participants to ask questions throughout the course.  Case studies are designed to apply learning to practice situations. We use self-evaluation exercises so that participants can check their own learning as the day progresses.

Trainer Biography

Simon Foster is a freelance legal consultant and trainer specialising in mental health, mental capacity, social care and human rights law. He spent several years as a local authority solicitor before being appointed as head of the legal unit at Mind. In 2004-5 he helped redraft the Mental Health Act Code of Practice and in 2009 he worked on the Ordinary Residence guidance for the Department of Health.

From 2011-12 he was interim Head of Legal Support Services at Sense, the deafblind charity. Simon has also taught social care and childcare law to DipSW students at Middlesex and South Bank Universities, and incapacity law to LLM students at Queen Mary University of London.

What people say about Simon:

“Thanks to Simon for an interesting and informative AMHP training day.” (The “Masked AMHP” blog)

“My expectations were exceeded- you were able to provide some clarity on how to apply the ‘acid test’, which I found very useful.” (A Best Interests Assessor)

“Rooted in practice and caselaw- very stimulating. Good case discussion” (An Approved Mental Health Professional)

“I just would like to say a big thank you to Simon Foster. The session on the MCA was the best training I have had in a long time on this Act.” (An AMHP)

“An informative and very enjoyable day’s training. The trainer was excellent and imparted knowledge in an interesting and clear way, which produced verbal discussion.” (Attendee on ‘hoarding’ course.)

“Thank you to Simon Foster for the excellent training day last Wednesday. Speaking as someone who has been highly critical of mental health training for thirty years, this was fantastic, Loved the speed and clarity, and the quizzes.” (An AMHP)

What participants say about this course

"Excellent, engaging, knowledgeable! One of the best training courses I have been on in a long time"

"Excellent course, relevant examples, comprehensive list of relevant legislation & court case"

"Brilliant, very informative & well delivered"