Mental health and learning disabilities

The Mental Health Action Plan contains 38 actions, including a commitment to produce a Mental Health Strategy, which will include a comprehensive funding plan for mental health. There is also a plan on dealing with the response to the Covid-19 crisis.

Children should have access to a comprehensive array of services that address the child’s physical, emotional, social and educational needs in order to promote positive mental health.This section provides relevant information relating to child and adolescent mental health services and policy.

The Mental Capacity Act (NI) 2016 is a ground-breaking piece of legislation that, when fully commenced, will fuse together mental capacity and mental health law for those aged 16 years old and over within a single piece of legislation, as recommended by the Bamford Review of Mental Health and Learning Disability.

Useful publications

Information within this section refers to activity for services relating to mental health, learning disability and autism.

Under the Mental Health (NI) Order 1986, police officers have a power to enter private premises with a warrant and temporarily remove people to a place of safety, and a power to remove persons from public places to a place of safety, provided that specified criteria are met.

Mental Health (NI) Order Revised Code of Practice 2025