Do I need to apply for Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS) authorisation for all of the people I care for with dementia?
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It is correct that you may need to apply for Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS) authorisation for some or all of the people in your care home who have dementia.
The DoLS are a set of legal protections that aim to ensure that people who are not able to take care of themselves or make decisions about their own lives are not deprived of their liberty without proper safeguards in place.
The DoLS can apply to people of any age, but they are most commonly used in relation to adults who have a mental disorder or condition that means they are not able to make decisions about their own care or treatment.
The DoLS are not mandatory, but if you are not sure whether or not they apply to someone in your care, you should seek legal advice.
If the DoLS do apply to someone in your care, you will need to apply for authorisation from the local authority. This process can be complex, so you may wish to seek professional advice to help you with it.
Once you have received authorisation, you will need to put in place certain safeguards to protect the person’s liberty. These may include regular reviews of the arrangement, limits on the amount of time the person can be deprived of their liberty, and restrictions on who can have access to them.
The DoLS are a complex area of the law, and you should seek professional advice if you are unsure about whether or not they apply to someone in your care.