The Best Interests Assessor Practice Handbook

The first textbook to consider the Best Interests Assessor (BIA) role in depth, offering practical guidance and exploring its particular challenges in the context of the Mental Capacity Act and Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards legal framework.

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Best Interests Assessors (BIA) are specialist practitioners with a unique professional identity. This is the first book to consider this complex role in depth, offering practical guidance and exploring its particular challenges in the context of the Mental Capacity Act and Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards legal framework.

How can you work with people who lack capacity to make sure their voice is heard? How can you maintain quality of assessments and decision-making while managing an increasing workload? How do you keep up to date with case law and work out how to apply it to day-to-day practice?

The book answers these questions and many more, allowing you to meet the ever-changing requirements of the role, whilst maintaining professional knowledge, values and ethics in practice, now and in the future. Activities including case studies, legal summaries, decision making activities, CPD support and case law will be welcomed by BIA students, practitioners and others interested in the role.

Rachel Hubbard is Senior Lecturer in Social Work at the University of the West of England, module leader for their Best Interests Assessment module and a practising Best Interests Assessor.

Dr Kevin Stone is CPD programme manager and Senior Lecturer for Social Work at the University of the West of England, a warranted Approved Mental Health Professional and qualified Best Interest Assessor.

Author/Editor details at time of book publication.