Jehan: DoLS example from practice

Jehan has a learning disability and physical disabilities that make it hard for him to communicate.

Staff have learned, from Jehan’s parents, that when he is stressed it calms him to play with balloons: his sign that he wants to do this is that he blows out little puffs of breath. Jehan’s care plan explains to staff that they should blow up balloons for him when he does this, and that they should also explore what might have caused him to feel stressed.

The aim of this is to enable them to reduce incidents when they have to restrain him in his best interests. The best interests assessor finds inconsistency in staff awareness of this. She suggests a condition that the managing authority monitors staff training about Jehan’s care plan, and records adherence to it. She adds the requirement that, if the authoriser removes this condition, she wants to be informed since she does not think the authorisation could be said to represent the least restrictive option and be in Jehan’s best interests, without this condition to ensure his care plan is complied with.

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