Social Care and Human Rights

About

Taking place from Wednesday 9 August – Friday 11 August at Wivenhoe House Hotel, in the grounds of our Colchester Campus, 2023 marks the 13th year for the annual Autonomy Summer School.

Our focus this year will be the theory, practice and politics of supported decision-making and support for the exercise of legal capacity. We will adopt a cross-cultural approach to the challenge, with particular attention to recent developments in Scotland (which has recently completed an intensive review of mental health and mental capacity legislation), Japan (which was recently reviewed by the UN Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, and where new pilot programs are underway), and Australia (which has long been a global leader in practices for decision-making support).

This year’s summer school will be conducted in English and Japanese (translation services provided) and is co-sponsored by the Essex Autonomy Project, The Essex Human Rights Centre, and Supported Decision-Making Japan.

Course leader

The Essex Autonomy Project is a research and public policy initiative, based at the University of Essex, investigating the ideal of self-determination (autonomy) in the context of care (health care, social care, eldercare, psychiatric care, etc.).

Target group

It is an ideal course for students, researchers, policy makers, and frontline professionals in medicine, law and social work, as well as activists and service users, civil servants and legislators.

Course aim

The aim is to work together on strategies for embedding respect for human rights and self-determination in care practices.

Fee info