The Assisted Decision-Making (Capacity) Act 2015 came into force in April 2023. It replaced the Ward of Court system with new arrangements, including decision-making representation orders made by the Circuit Court.
Before We Die wants to know what this process is really like for families: how much do you know about it, how long it takes, what it costs, what gets in the way, and whether it works. Your answers will inform our submissions to Government, the Decision Support Service and the Oireachtas.
Most people finish in under 10 minutes. If your family has been through the court process there are more questions, so allow a little longer. The survey is anonymous, we do not ask your name or the name of the person you support. All questions after this page are optional.
Capacity court cases are heard in private. Please do not include judges’ names, court dates, case numbers or anything that could identify a specific case.
Data protection: answers are anonymous and used only for research, policy and advocacy on this Act; published quotes are fully anonymised; optional contact details at the end are stored separately, seen only by authorised Before We Die committee members, never shared or sold, and deleted on request. We comply with GDPR and are guided by the National Disability Authority’s Ethical Guidance for Research with People with Disabilities.
