The Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS), which apply only in England and Wales, are an amendment to the Mental Capacity Act 2005. The DoLS under the MCA allows restraint and restrictions that amount to a deprivation of liberty to be used in hospitals and care homes – but only if they are in a person’s best interests. To deprive a person of their liberty, care homes and hospitals must request standard authorisation from a local authority.

DoLS becoming LPS

SCIE explainer page: The Mental Capacity (Amendment) Act will replace the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS) with a scheme known as the Liberty Protection Safeguards (LPS). Read about key features of the LPS.
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DoLS e-Learning course: Recently relaunched with CPD accreditation
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At a glance

Includes guidance on what deprivation of liberty is and how it is authorised. Also discusses urgent authorisations, safeguards for people who may be deprived of their liberty and when DoLS cannot be used.

Putting into practice

Describes good practice in management and implementation of DoLS.

DoLS e-Learning

Looks at the law on deprivation of liberty safeguards (DOLS).

Supreme Court judgment

SCIE’s videos discussing the Supreme Court’s 2014 Cheshire West judgment on deprivation of liberty.

IMCAs and paid representatives

Practice guidance describing the role of IMCAs and paid representatives.

Resources / useful links

Quality-assured resources and the latest thinking on DoLS