Textbooks
Explore our diverse range of digital textbooks designed for course adoption and recommended reading at universities and colleges. We publish over 140 textbooks across the social sciences, and an annual subscription to digital textbooks is possible via BUP Digital.
Our content is fully searchable and can be accessed on and off-campus through Shibboleth, OpenAthens or an institutional authenticated IP. For any questions on digital textbook pricing and subscription information, please contact simon.bell@bristol.ac.uk.
We are happy to provide digital samples of any of our coursebooks by completing this form. To see the full collection of all our core textbooks, browse our main website.
The BIA Practice Handbook remains the only textbook that focuses directly on the BIA role within the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards. It is considered to be the definitive introduction to Best Interests Assessor practice, and is acknowledged to be a valuable resource for both students and practitioners as it contains detailed knowledge and support for ethical decision making in practice. The latest edition has been updated to take into account recent legislative changes, including the Mental Capacity Amendment Act 2019, recent case law, plus the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on BIA practice.
The Best Interests Assessor (BIA) Practice Handbook is firmly grounded in real-life practice and remains the only textbook focusing directly on the BIA role. Offering clear and practical advice on the legal elements of the role, and the values and practice elements of working within the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS) framework, this is essential reading for BIA students and practitioners.
This fully-updated edition takes account of recent legislative changes, including the planned changes from the Liberty Protection Safeguards (LPS), recent case law and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on BIA practice.
Packed with advice on delivering effective, person-centred, rights-driven practice, it includes:
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case studies;
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legal summaries;
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decision-making activities;
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CPD support;
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examples of new case law in practice.
Looking forward, the book considers the new context for practice in the Approved Mental Capacity Professional (AMCP) role within the LPS and the potential roles that BIAs might fulfil in this new framework in the future.
This chapter explains the qualifying requirements for BIAs, as well as their statutory and professional CPD requirements updated for new professional regulators, and offers suggestions for support and resources to achieve these.
This chapter explains the current understanding of what the replacement for DoLS, the Liberty Protection Safeguards (LPS), will look like. It will set out the LPS as specified in Schedule AA1 of the MCA and the likely guidance for practice from the draft revised MCA Code and LPS implementation documents available for consultation in April 2022. The chapter will also consider the potential future roles for BIAs, whether as frontline health and social work professionals completing necessary and proportionate assessments, as those conducting pre-authorisation checks of LPS assessments or as Approved Mental Capacity Professionals (AMCPs) working with more complex assessments. The chapter will consider the new learning that BIAs will need to ensure that they are ready for whatever the future holds for the role.
This chapter focuses on the detail of how BIA assessments and decisions are recorded, including guidance on how to ensure that recording meets the highest standards of professional practice, requirements of case law and supervisory bodies. It includes areas where BIAs often seek advice, including getting the details right, writing the appropriate amount, recognising when the person is objecting, writing conditions and recommendations, and including other views.
This chapter considers the BIA’s duties, responsibilities and powers, how the role is regarded and the impact of significant case law since its implementation. It explores how assessors can maintain their independence and accountability in the range of contexts in which BIAs work, whether directly for local authorities or as independent practitioners, how to maintain their boundaries from the pressures of expectations in these contexts and the impact of COVID-19 on BIA practice.
The BIA Practice Handbook remains the only textbook that focuses directly on the BIA role within the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards. It is considered to be the definitive introduction to Best Interests Assessor practice, and is acknowledged to be a valuable resource for both students and practitioners as it contains detailed knowledge and support for ethical decision making in practice. The latest edition has been updated to take into account recent legislative changes, including the Mental Capacity Amendment Act 2019, recent case law, plus the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on BIA practice.
The BIA Practice Handbook remains the only textbook that focuses directly on the BIA role within the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards. It is considered to be the definitive introduction to Best Interests Assessor practice, and is acknowledged to be a valuable resource for both students and practitioners as it contains detailed knowledge and support for ethical decision making in practice. The latest edition has been updated to take into account recent legislative changes, including the Mental Capacity Amendment Act 2019, recent case law, plus the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on BIA practice.
This chapter explores the role of the BIA to act ethically, the challenges of making decisions as a BIA when there are no clear ‘right’ answers, professional responsibilities towards professional practice and ethical models to assist with making difficult and complex decisions.
This chapter enables BIAs to explore the influences and context for their decisions, and offers tools and models to aid reflection and critical thinking with examples of BIA decision making. It also offers theoretical and research contexts for commonly encountered conditions in BIA practice, such as dementia, learning disabilities, autism and acquired brain injury, and explores key challenges such as executive capacity.
