Website of the Department of Health

Mental Capacity Act 2005: Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards - standard forms

The information on this page was last updated on 21 October 2009.

The set of documents and forms published here constitute the current version of the forms developed to date, for both supervisory bodies and for managing authorities.

The forms can be adapted but, if used in unedited form they help all those involved in the safeguards processes to fully meet the requirements of the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards legislation.

Anybody in possession of or still using any earlier drafts of the forms, including those on the CD–Rom published by the Department, is strongly advised to dispose of the PDF versions of any of those earlier forms, as there have been a number of technical improvements made to them since that time, and replace them with and use only the versions currently on these pages. The content of the forms hasn't changed but the current versions allow users to much more effectively fill out and save the PDFs electronically.

The documents and forms are in both (Rich Text Format (RTF) and Portable Document Format (PDF) formats and in both single continuous documents that contain all the forms and documents and forms that are separated out and available in single file

The signature boxes cannot be electronically filled in if an RTF format form has been opened in Microsoft Word.

The PDF single forms should allow anybody using Adobe Reader 8 or 9 to electronically complete those forms. Help on viewing PDFs is available elsewhere on this page.

The single form versions in RTF and PDF formats are available in colour and non-colour versions.We are aware that some people have experienced difficulties in scanning and faxing the forms that are coloured blue and green, and so you are strongly advised to use the non colour versions to avoid any difficulties if scanning or faxing.

The colour forms have been designed to print off well as black and white copies so should not present the same difficulties as they may when scanned and / or faxed.

The current PDF forms have been amended to overcome the difficulties previously experienced where the font size automatically reduced. The font size should no longer reduce and a continuation sheet has also been developed to be used where more text needs to added to any text box that has become “full” as the boxes do not expand.

These are standard and not statutory forms but supervisory bodies and managing authorities, and IMCAs, are strongly encouraged to use them as their use will fulfil not only their legal obligations but will bring a nationwide consistency to the implementation of the safeguards.

If you have any queries please email:

• MCA DOL safeguards mailbox (opens new window)