CPD Session Tools
Legal Literacy & Professional Practice
Interactive tools supporting practitioners to understand adult social care law, safeguarding legislation and legal frameworks, strengthening professional judgement and legally informed decision-making in practice.
BASW-approved CPD tools for legal literacy in social work — covering the Care Act, Mental Capacity Act, Human Rights Act and professional decision-making frameworks used across adult social care practice.
About this practice area
Legal literacy is not just about knowing the law. It is about understanding how legislation shapes professional judgement, how legal frameworks inform the decisions practitioners make every day, and how to apply law confidently in complex, real-world situations. For social workers and social care professionals, weak legal literacy creates risk — for practitioners, for the people they support, and for their organisations.
The DCC-i Legal Literacy & Professional Practice pillar provides interactive CPD tools and training resources that help practitioners understand, apply and critically engage with the legal frameworks that govern adult social care in England. Developed for social workers, AMHP practitioners, Best Interests Assessors, team managers and practice educators, these resources are practitioner-led and grounded in current legislation.
What this pillar covers
- The Care Act 2014 — wellbeing, assessment, eligibility and duties
- The Mental Capacity Act 2005 and the five statutory principles
- Human Rights Act 1998 in social care practice
- Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS) and Liberty Protection Safeguards (LPS)
- Safeguarding legislation and Section 42 enquiries
- Professional judgement, legal reasoning and defensible decisions
- Legal frameworks for AMHP and BIA practice
Who this CPD is for
These resources are designed for social workers from ASYE to senior practitioner level, Approved Mental Health Professionals, Best Interests Assessors, practice educators, team managers and any professional who needs to apply adult social care law confidently in their day-to-day practice.
From ASYE to advanced practice
DCC-i legal literacy CPD spans the full practitioner career arc. Our ASYE programme builds foundational legal knowledge and critical analysis skills, while our AMHP and BIA programmes support practitioners undertaking some of the most legally complex roles in the sector. All programmes are BASW-approved and used by local authorities and NHS trusts across the UK.
Explore the tools below or get access to the full DCC-i Portal to unlock the complete legal literacy suite for your team.