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What is future planning?
Future planning means planning ahead for a time when you may not be able to make or communicate your own decisions.
The Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA) is a piece of law that explains what it means not to be able to make decisions, and what happens when a person can’t make them.
The MCA sets out ways for adults (people over 18) who can make decisions, to record their decisions now, in case they can’t make them in the future. The MCA also allows people who can make decisions to choose others to act for them, in case they can’t act for themselves in future.
On this page you can read about three ways of future planning. These are:
Please click on each of the links above to find out more.
Although aimed at professionals, you might find useful the short videos created by our partners in Focus Independent Adult Social Work, about future planning and making decisions for others. You can find them on YouTube here: MCA Mini Series Episode 1 – ‘Lets Talk’ and MCA Mini Series Episode 2 – ‘Whose decision is it anyway?’
If you want to understand more about future planning for young people preparing to become adults you may find this guide from the Department of Health and Social Care useful: Making finance decisions for young people: parent and carer toolkit – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
Page last updated: 06 Oct 2023