Legislation, Policy and Ethics

What this page covers

This unit sits in the Safeguarding, Safety and the Law strand of Health and social care. Most of what is listed is mind maps, with a smaller set of quizzes, flashcard decks and notes. Many follow the GCSE Health and Social Care style of learning about the laws that shape care settings.

Mental capacity and safeguarding

Several of the top maps deal with decisions and protection. The 5 Key Principles of the MCA sets out the starting points, such as assuming a person has capacity unless it is shown they lack it. Independent Mental Capacity Advocate (IMCA) explains who gets an advocate when they cannot make a particular decision. Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DOLs) covers continuous supervision and control where a person is not free to leave.

Acts and policies for care

The Legislations for Care map links acts such as the Equality Act 2006 and the NHS and Community Care Act 1990. There is a matching note, Legislations for Care - created from Mind Map, if you prefer reading to a diagram. Other maps take one law at a time, including The Children Act 1989, The Care Standards Act (2000), The Health Act (1999) and The Mental Health Act (1983).

Ethics and confidentiality

For ethics, look at the Professional Ethics map, the notes on law, ethics and confidentiality in allied health, and the quiz on ethical issues. These suit professional candidates and university students.

A simple order to follow

1. Open the principles map and the IMCA map to get the vocabulary.
2. Move to Legislations for Care to see how the acts connect.
3. Pick one act and read its map, then its flashcards, such as the Mental Capacity Act 2005 deck.
4. Take a quiz, such as the Mental Capacity Act quiz, and note what you missed.
5. Go back to the map for those gaps.

Maps show the shape of a topic and quizzes show what has stuck. Using them together keeps you honest about what you know. When you are ready, choose a map that matches your course and try a quiz on it.