Camillia Kong is an academic researcher and philosopher based at the University of Oxford. She was awarded a British Academy Postdoctoral Fellowship to conduct research exploring the philosophical issues behind the concept of mental capacity.Alex Ruck Keene is a barrister, writer and educator. He specialises in the Mental Capacity Act 2005, and has acted in cases involving the Act at all levels up to and including the Supreme Court.

This book grapples with the boundaries of capacity law, and the ways in which narratives themselves can empower and disempower. It is an accessibly written guide to the challenging ethical and legal questions facing social care practitioners today.

• 1. The legal landscape and the challenge for practitioners. 2. What is autonomy? 3. Why relationships matter. 4. Enabling and disabling narratives. 5. The ethical role of the capacity and best interests assessor. 6. Capacity and best interests: a not-so-bright line. 7. Conclusion. 8. Bibliography. 9. Appendices: theoretical resources. 10. Appendix: practical resource. 11. Statutes and cases.