10 March 2026
As part of the National Training Fund (NTF) 2026 Programme, Carmichael is hosting a free webinar on “Navigating the Assisted Decision-Making (Capacity) Act 2015”.
We invite you to join us on 18th June 2026, from 1:05 PM to 1:55 PM for a 50-minute webinar. Register here.
Target Audience: Frontline volunteers, coordinators, and board members of small, volunteer-led organisations.
1: Executive Summary & Strategic Importance
The commencement of the Assisted Decision-Making (Capacity) Act 2015 (ADMA) marks the end of the outdated, paternalistic Wardship system in Ireland. It introduces a modern, human-rights-based framework that presumes capacity and prioritises an individual’s “will and preferences.”
For volunteer-led organisations, understanding this Act is an absolute operational necessity. The most critical shift is this: Legally, organisations can now only deal directly with the service user. You can no longer share information with, or take instructions from, a carer or family member unless they have a formal decision support arrangement registered with the Decision Support Service (DSS). This webinar will demystify the Act, outline the new legal boundaries for your volunteers, and explain how to guide families through proactive planning to avoid a legal crisis.
2: Core Learning Objectives
By the end of this 60-minute webinar, participants will understand:
- The “What”: The shift from a generalised “status-based” lack of capacity to the new “functional test” (where capacity is specific to the decision and the time it is made).
- The “Why”: How this legislation protects the fundamental human rights, dignity, and bodily integrity of vulnerable adults.
- The Operational Reality: The strict compliance rule that informal family carers no longer have automatic legal standing to make decisions or access information on behalf of a service user.
3: The Tiers of Support & The Decision Support Service (DSS)
We will walk volunteers through the new legally recognised support tiers managed by the DSS, ensuring they know what documentation to ask for when a family member claims to be making decisions for a service user.
- Decision-Making Assistance Agreement: The person makes the decision but needs help gathering and understanding info.
- Co-Decision-Making Agreement: Decisions are made jointly.
- Decision-Making Representation Order: A court-appointed representative makes specific decisions (the measure of last resort).
4: The Cost of Inaction: Why Families Must Plan Ahead
The webinar will heavily emphasise the severe implications for carers and families if they fail to plan ahead while the person they are supporting still has capacity.
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- The Power of the EPA: We will highlight the Enduring Power of Attorney (EPA) and the Advance Healthcare Directive (AHD) as the ultimate tools for future-proofing an individual’s autonomy.
- The “Support Vacuum”: What happens if a person loses capacity without an EPA in place? Families are left legally powerless. They cannot access bank accounts, pay bills, or speak to service providers (including your organisation).
- The Court Burden: Without an EPA, families are forced into a stressful, expensive, and rigid Circuit Court process to be appointed as Decision-Making Representatives, which subjects them to intense DSS financial reporting and oversight.
Speaker: Maighréad Kelly
Maighréad is an experienced Consultant and Director at Collaboration Ireland and has been working in the community and voluntary sector for over 30 years. She has a depth of understanding of the community, voluntary and health sector – its operational and policy context, its political sensitivities and its people, organisations, and systems. Prior to becoming a consultant in 2018, Maighréad worked in the disability sector for over 25 years and was responsible for establishing new services, setting up projects in the community and managing large teams of staff which included training and facilitating meetings, and workshops. Maighréad is also a Safeguarding and Risk Consultant who will undertake investigations and inquiries on behalf of disability organisations in the Munster Region. Maighréad is both experienced and knowledgeable in the area of governance and assessing governance compliance within companies. She will partner with your charity, organisation, or social enterprise to help your CEO and Board of Directors to identify the areas of priority in order to be compliant with the Charity Regulators Code.
Register for this webinar through this link.
The funding for the provision of these services comes from the National Training Fund administered by the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research Innovation and Science. Participants will be asked to provide further information regarding Age Range, Gender, Employment Status, Educational Background, Role in Organisation, Organisation Activity & Size post registration.
