One in 20 could use new service to replace current wards of court system

The Mental Health Commission said an estimated 7,408 individuals are expected to access the Decision Support Service (DSS) in its first year of service, rising to 7,942 in 2026. Photo: RollingNews.ie

More than 5,500 may use the new service to support people to make decisions about their personal welfare, property, and affairs in the first six months of its operation, and one-in-20 of the population may use it in the course of their lifetime.

The projections about the Decision Support Service (DSS), due to become operational next year and which will ultimately take over from the current wards of court system, are included in a new forecast report published today by the Mental Health Commission (MHC).

Those likely to access the new service may include people with an intellectual disability, mental illness or acquired brain injury, as well as people with neurodegenerative conditions such as dementia who may need supports to make decisions.

In the report the MHC said an estimated 7,408 individuals are expected to access the DSS in its first year of service, rising to 7,942 in 2026. It said a "reasonable estimate for the first six months of operations". from July to December next year, would be 5,556 decision-support arrangements.

The MHC and a range of other agencies have been calling for the implementation of the DSS for a number of years. Introduced under the Assisted Decision-Making (Capacity) Act 2015, it is expected to be commenced in full in June 2022, after which time the wardship system will continue to operate for a transitional period of three years in order to manage current adult wards’ cases.

There is no single data source in Ireland of adults who require support to make decisions but the MHC report uses various sources, including the last Census and national disability databases, to estimate a baseline population.

According to the report: "When population projections are applied, the baseline population in 2021 ranges from 125,406 to 201,064. This represents 3.3% to 5.2% of the adult population (one in every 20 adults)."

The report estimates that 24% of this baseline population are aged 65 years and older, that 28% live in one of the four Dublin administrative areas and that 14% reside in nursing homes.

The new support service will be under the remit of the Mental Health Commission and the Director of the Decision Support Service, Áine Flynn, said: "At different times in our lives, we all need to make decisions. We make important decisions about our finances, property, employment, accommodation, healthcare, and social supports. Some people - due to various factors or circumstances - may struggle with this due to compromised health or other issues.

“This includes current adult wards of court. Almost 2,000 people have been made wards of courts since the Assisted Decision-Making (Capacity) Act 2015 was enacted. All adult wards will have their cases reviewed by the wardship court and must transition out of wardship within three years of commencement.

“When we are up and running next year, there will be a graduated framework of arrangements for people who have challenges with their decision-making capacity and who may need to access appropriate support.” 

* More information is available at www.decisionsupportservice.ie / [phone]