Liberty Protection Safeguards

New legislation will be coming into force to replace the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS) with Liberty Protection Safeguards (LPS). This change was previously planned for April 2022 but has been delayed, and we are waiting for the government to confirm a new start date.

LPS will create new responsibilities for NHS hospitals and integrated care boards (ICBs). It will also apply to more people, including 16-17 year olds, and people living in more settings (including supported living and their own home).

The government will publish a code of practice and regulations for LPS. While we wait for these to be finalised, we are planning how best to support these changes. We will update this page once we know more.

You can find more information about the planned changes via the following links:

• POhWER (opens new window)
• SCIE (Social Care Institute for Excellence) (opens new window)
• Mental Capacity Law and Policy (opens new window)