Adult Social Care Glossary, v 0.6

(3) In exercising a function under this Part in the case of an individual, a local authority must have regard to the following matters in particular--

(a) the importance of beginning with the assumption that the individual is best-placed to judge the individual's well-being;
(b) the individual's views, wishes, feelings and beliefs;
(c) the importance of preventing or delaying the development of needs for care and support or needs for support and the importance of reducing needs of either kind that already exist;
(d) the need to ensure that decisions about the individual are made having regard to all the individual's circumstances (and are not based only on the individual's age or appearance or any condition of the individual's or aspect of the individual's behaviour which might lead others to make unjustified assumptions about the individual's well-being);
(e) the importance of the individual participating as fully as possible in decisions relating to the exercise of the function concerned and being provided with the information and support necessary to enable the individual to participate;
(f) the importance of achieving a balance between the individual's well-being and that of any friends or relatives who are involved in caring for the individual;
(g) the need to protect people from abuse and neglect;
(h) the need to ensure that any restriction on the individual's rights or freedom of action that is involved in the exercise of the function is kept to the minimum necessary for achieving the purpose for which the function is being exercised.