Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards

This update relates to A reference by the Attorney General for Northern Ireland [2026] UKSC 16.

On 2 June 2026, the Supreme Court overturned the 2014 Cheshire West "acid test" ruling. This took immediate effect, and we are waiting for guidance from the Department of Health and Social Care.

While we wait for this guidance, we encourage partners to continue submitting DoLS forms 1 and 2 as usual.