Mental Welfare Commission for Scotland

Age at which adults are placed on welfare guardianship orders

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Our interest in this

The above pie charts show the age at which adults with different causes of impaired capacity are placed on welfare guardianship under the provisions of the Adults with Incapacity (Scotland) Act 2000. While some of this will be of no surprise, it has to be viewed in context of the length of time for which orders are granted for adults whose impaired capacity is a consequence of different mental disorders.

What we found

The data is fairly similar to last year's in that 43% of all adults with learning disability who were placed on welfare guardianship last year were under 25 years of age when their order was granted. Just under 16% of adults with learning disability placed on welfare guardianship last year were in the 16-17 year old age group. For people with dementia, over 95% of them were over 65 when their order was granted.

It is interesting to see the diversity of mental disorders which have been the primary cause of impaired capacity for those between the ages of 25-44 and 45-64 when their order was granted. In the first group, learning disability was the cause of impaired capacity in over 80% of the orders granted and acquired brain injury was the cause of impaired capacity in 11%. In the 45-64 age group, acquired brain injury and alcohol related brain damage together were the cause of impaired capacity in 28% of the orders granted.

Log in / register to comment on this page.

Select Reports by Year:

Please select 2011 2010 2009 2008

Archive: pre-2008 annual reports