The Mental Health (Northern Ireland) Order 1986

[F1 Independent Advocates N.I.

3C— (1) The Department must make regulations about independent advocates.

(2) An “independent advocate” means a person who has been appointed by an HSC trust, in accordance with the regulations, to be a person to whom the trust may from time to time offer instructions to represent and provide support to a patient who is under 16 in relation to matters specified in the instructions.

(3) The regulations may in particular—

(a) require HSC trusts to make arrangements for the purpose of ensuring that independent advocates are available to be instructed;

(b) make provision about such arrangements (including provision providing that a person may be appointed as mentioned in paragraph (2) only if the person meets prescribed conditions);

(c) make provision for the purpose of securing the independence of independent advocates;

(d) make provision in relation to the instruction of independent advocates (including provision permitting or requiring a prescribed person, in prescribed circumstances, to request an HSC trust to instruct an independent advocate);

(e) make provision about the functions of independent advocates.

(4) The conditions that may be prescribed by virtue of paragraph (3)(b) include—

(a) a condition that the person is approved, or belongs to a description of persons approved, in accordance with the regulations;

(b) a condition that the person has prescribed qualifications or skills or has undertaken prescribed training.

(5) The regulations must make provision for the purpose of securing that, except in prescribed circumstances, an independent advocate is instructed—

(a) where a patient under 16 is admitted to a hospital (whether under Part 2 or otherwise) for the assessment or treatment of mental disorder; or

(b) where it is proposed to give a patient under 16 a form of medical treatment to which Article 63 or 63B applies.

(6) The regulations may apply, or make provision corresponding to, any provision within paragraph (7) (with or without modifications).

(7) The provisions are—

(a) any provision of Part 4 of the 2016 Act;

(b) any provision of regulations made under that Part;

(c) any provision that could be made by regulations under that Part.]

F1 Arts. 3A-3D and cross-heading inserted (2.12.2019 for specified purposes) (but omit until "In-patients under 16: duties of hospital managers") by Mental Capacity Act (Northern Ireland) 2016 (c. 18), s. 307(2), Sch. 8 para. 4 (with ss. 285-287); S.R. 2019/163, art. 2(2), Sch. Pt. 2 (with arts. 3, 4) (as amended by S.R. 2019/190, art. 2)