CPD scheme
See Subscriptions for details of the other things you can sign up for.
The scheme is primarily aimed at mental health solicitors, and is an ideal way to evidence your continued competence, but is also suitable for barristers, psychiatrists, social workers and psychiatric nurses.
The course will cover LAA category supervisors, and members of the Law Society's mental health and mental capacity accreditation schemes, for their mandatory CPD hours. Each questionnaire states whether it relates to the MHA or MCA.
For £60, you can obtain 12 CPD credits. Multiple-choice tests are published monthly and stay online for 12 months. The tests can be taken at any time (if you had the stamina you could do them all in one sitting!). The subscription lasts for up to 12 CPD points or 12 months, whichever is sooner.
The aim is to provide updates on mental health law - case law, legislation and general information. At the end of the course you will have a better understanding of recent changes in this area of law. You do not need to have any prior knowledge to take the tests, as each test is based on its own reading material.
Subscription
£60 per subscriber. You will be emailed with login details within a day of payment being received.
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If you have any queries about your order, please email jonathan at mentalhealthlaw.co.uk
About the scheme
1. Study the relevant month's reading material.
2. Answer 8 multiple-choice questions which are set by a practising mental health solicitor.
3. Your marks will be checked by computer and you will immediately be given your score.
4. If you score at least 7 out of 8, then you will be awarded one CPD hour and will be able to print out a certificate for your records.
5. If you fail the test you can resit it until you pass, but will need to re-read the relevant materials carefully.
Further details
1. Solicitors: The MHLO scheme is an ideal way to evidence your continued competence in this area of law. In addition:
- For LAA category supervisors the Standard Civil Contract 2018 introduces two separate competence standards:
- The MHT Legal Competence Standard: "undertake a minimum of 6 hours of professional development activities (which meet any professional development requirements of your Relevant Professional Body) per year in the Mental Health Category of Law of which at least 1 hour must be on the Mental Capacity Act 2005." (para 9.23(b)).
- The Mental Health and Mental Capacity Legal Competence Standard: "undertake a minimum of 6 hours of professional development activities (which meet any professional development requirements of your Relevant Professional Body) per year in the Mental Health Category of Law of which no fewer than 3 hours must be on the Mental Capacity Act 2005." (para 9.31(a)(ix)).
- For the Law Society mental health accreditation scheme:
- Accreditation: "In addition to the two-day mandatory course, applicants should also have gained at least six PD hours in the last complete PD year in the subject area of mental health law."
- Re-accreditation: "For re-accreditation, all members of the scheme are required to ensure that they completed at least 6 PD hours in the subject area of mental health law for each of the three years of accreditation. We recognise that considering only completed PD years results in some training not being taken into account. In order to continue supporting our members, we have therefore moved to accepting the last 3 years of PD hours, at the point of application." (See Dec 2018 guidance.)
- In relation to the Law Society's distinction between "mental health" and "mental capacity" and what is allowed for the MH accreditation scheme, see: Law Society mental health accreditation scheme - CPD requirements and Law Society mental health accreditation scheme - guidance documents.
- For the Law Society mental capacity (welfare) accreditation scheme:
- Accreditation: "In addition to the two-day mandatory course, applicants should also have gained at least six PD hours in the last complete PD year in the subject area of mental capacity law, or related areas such as mental health."
- Re-accreditation: You need to "demonstrate your continued competence by ... [p]roviding details of the PD undertaken in each year".
2. Barristers: See BSB website
3. Legal executives: Suitable for legal executives. See ILEX website.
4. Doctors: See RCPsych CPD information.
5. Social workers: See Social Work England website.
6. Nurses: See NMC website.
If you have any enquiries about the scheme - whether technical (e.g. you can't get the system to work) or otherwise (e.g. you disagree with your score) - then you can email jonathan at mentalhealthlaw.co.uk. In addition, there is a feedback form which can be filled in at the end of each assessment.
Catching up
There are always six MHA and six MCA tests available at any one time. You could sit all the tests in one day if you had the time and energy, or you could take one test a month. To take a test, please click the "Take a test" link at the top of the page.
I am currently behind in writing tests but hope to catch up shortly.
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MCA:
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