© Mental Health Commission / Decision Support Service · CC BY 4.0
The person’s will and preferences matter
The service explained that adults should be presumed able to make their own decisions and supported to do so where possible. Director Áine Flynn described arrangements with different responsibilities according to the person’s circumstances and the decisions involved. The framework also provided tools for planning ahead, including advance healthcare directives and enduring powers of attorney. [1]
A reform with a transition period
The government’s commencement announcement linked the service to the Assisted Decision-Making (Capacity) Acts. The launch materials provided for adults to leave wardship through a review process over three years. [2][1]
Self-advocacy identifies an information gap
In its submission for Budget 2024, Inclusion Ireland reported that many participants in its survey did not know what the new service did. It called for enough funding to respond to requests and to produce information accessible to people with intellectual disabilities.