Advising Clients with Mental Health Conditions

Advising Clients with Mental Health Conditions is designed to aid solicitors to advise clients who have mental health problems, and their carers, and to assist the solicitors who represent clients at Mental Health Tribunals with the many other legal issues they may have. The book provides practical advice on topics such as admission to and discharge from hospital and visiting clients in a hospital environment; provision of, access to and complaints about services and advising carers and relatives.

It covers interaction with other legal areas such as criminal; wills, probate, trusts and gifts; marriage and family; immigration; housing; employment and legal aid. It also includes chapters on Mental Capacity Law and the Mental Health Act 1983, as well as the interaction between Human Rights laws and mental health and a chapter highlighting the differences in mental health law and practice in Wales.

Clients with mental health conditions are entitled to the same quality advice and respect as any other client. This clear and practical book will assist the practitioner with a guide to common legal problems that clients with mental health problems experience and how to approach them to ensure vulnerable clients receive excellent advice.

table of content

1. Introduction

2. Advising clients with mental health conditions

3. Handling complaints and concerns about services

4. Human rights and mental health

5. Advising the carer and relative

6. Mental capacity law

7. Mental Health Act 1983

8. The criminal law

9. Habeas Corpus and judicial review

10. Contract and tort

11. Debt and money

12. Legal aid

13. Wills, probate, trusts and gifts

14. Marriage and family matters

15. Immigration

16. Housing and benefits

17. Children and young people with a mental health condition

18. Employment

19. Provision of services and funding on discharge from hospital

20. Participation in society

21. Law and practice in Wales

22. Dealing with stress