Our Human Rights in Mental Health Inpatient Care short course is back by popular demand. This three-part course is tailored for senior mental health practitioners working with the Mental Health Act in England and Wales. It dives into the legal duties placed on mental health staff by the Human Rights Act and how to put these into practice, covering real-life stories and legal cases; creating rights-respecting policies; balancing rights in difficult situations; and reducing restrictive practice. 

The course also includes a workshop co-delivered with a Lived Experience Expert from BIHR’s RITES Committee and a guest speaker with experience working as a Human Rights Lead at an NHS mental health trust.

We’ll be running a 45-minute, online taster session on 10th September. This is free to attend and will include a quick overview of the Human Rights Act and explain the aims of the course, as well as giving you space to ask any questions about the content and the application process. 

The UK Government asked for evidence about the way equality law is being applied across the UK. We submitted a response that looked at the connection between the Equality Act and the Human Rights Act and the legal duties placed on public bodies to respect, protect and fulfil our rights. 

In our response, we recommended that the Government work to improve awareness and implementation of the right to be free from discrimination; provide clarity and training for people working in public bodies; and raise awareness of the ways human rights apply in our everyday lives. We also shared real-life stories of the Human Rights Act in action, showing how it can help to promote equality and tackle injustice.