Learning symposium: Hoarding and self-neglect: law and good practice

This one-day interactive course for mental health and social care professionals reviews the different manifestations of hoarding and the possible origins of this behaviour, and then considers a range of possible responses under the law and where each one might be appropriate. The course does not aim to provide a ‘magic wand’ to solve what are often intractable problems, nor to look in detail at therapeutic approaches, but rather to equip participants with a clear understanding of when intervention is justified and of the potential legal ways forward. It also gives participants the opportunity to share their own strategies and successes in hoarding cases.

The course will cover the following key topics:

• What is ‘hoarding’, and how it relates to self-neglect generally
• he diversity of hoarding behaviour and its possible causes
• The role of adult safeguarding under the Care Act 2014
• Whether intervention can be justified in the context of Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights
• Scope for use of the Mental Health Act, including guardianship
• How the Mental Capacity Act can help
• When it is appropriate to use environmental health law

The course will be delivered by: Simon Foster
Simon is a freelance legal consultant and trainer. A former local authority solicitor, he was previously head of the legal unit at Mind. In 2004-5 he helped redraft the Mental Health Act Code of Practice and in 2009 he worked on the Ordinary Residence guidance for the Department of Health. From 2011-12 he was interim Head of Legal Support Services at Sense, the deafblind charity. Simon has also taught social work students at South Bank & Middlesex Universities, and LLM students at Queen Mary University of London.

* This session is open to Social Workers and staff working in Social Care across the Teaching Partnership (Barnet, Hackney, Haringey, Enfield, and Norwood).