To provide students with a basic overview of mental health law and policy in England and Wales;

To provide students with an insight into the legal powers governing mental health care and treatment;

To offer students the opportunity to evaluate and critique the principal policy drivers which shape mental health laws;

To enable students to apply theoretical models in their analysis of mental health law and policy;

To promote a wider agenda for research into mental health law and policy.

(LO1) Demonstrate principles and techniques of advanced research in the field of mental health law and policy.

(LO2) Show an understanding of the relevant social, economic, political, historical, philosophical, ethical, scientific and cultural contexts within which mental health law and policy operate.

(LO3) Select and retrieve relevant legal and policy sources in both paper and electronic formats.

(LO4) Apply, analyse and appraise the legal sources of mental health law and policy from statutes, law reports, treaties, directives and other sources as appropriate.

(LO5) Apply legal knowledge to a practical situation and draw reasoned conclusions supported by legal authority.

(LO6) Synthesise information from primary legal sources to achieve detailed knowledge and understanding of mental health law and policy.

(LO7) Understand, analyse and apply English, European and international legal terminology, both orally and in writing, to explain and convey technical legal information at an advanced level.

(LO8) Demonstrate the advanced legal skills (e.g. critical analysis) necessary to enable them to reach a superior understanding of mental health law and policy, even where law has not previously been studied at undergraduate level.

(LO9) Understand and assess the social and economic context in which the provision of mental health care takes place.

(LO10) Evaluate and assess the rationale for mental health law and policy from a socio-legal perspective.

(LO11) Critically appraise the effectiveness of existing models of mental health law and policy.

(S1) Communication (oral, written and visual) - Academic writing (inc. referencing skills)

(S2) Critical thinking and problem solving - Critical analysis

(S3) Critical thinking and problem solving - Evaluation

(S4) Critical thinking and problem solving - Problem identification

(S5) Information skills - Critical reading

Week 1: Welcome;

Week 2: History and theories of mental health law and policy;

Week 3: The Mental Health Acts and civil commitment;

Week 4: De-institutionalised care and guardianship;

Week 5: Treatment;

Week 6: Formative assignment;

Week 7: Mental disorder and criminal justice;

Week 8: Mental health and human rights;

Week 9: Mental health and risk (group presentations);

Week 10: Mental Health Review Tribunals;

Week 11: The future of mental health law and policy;

Week 12: Assessment drop-in

The module runs according to the same seminar pattern as 2018-19 (the last occasion on which the module ran). This can occur either online or in a face-to-face setting, depending on the circumstances. The seminars in Weeks 1 and 12 are for introductory and revision purposes respectively; Week 6 or 7 has customarily been a mid-semester break to allow students to complete a formative exercise. This means that there are nine substantive seminars on the module.

Seminars will be synchronous (either face-to-face or online) and will work on the assumption that students have completed their assigned reading tasks in advance. In a change from previous years, all seminars will comprise evaluative problem question scenarios in order to align them constructively with the end-of-module assessment.

I plan to use Canvas to design a weekly post-seminar multiple-choice quiz comprising up to ten questions. Students will be encouraged to consolidate their learning by completing the quiz ea ch week.