<p>The Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (Ministry of Justice 2008) were introduced in April 2009 to protect people who lack the capacity to consent to treatment. Since then, the recruitment of assessors to act as best interest assessors on behalf of people with learning disabilities has been ongoing in local authorities and healthcare trusts. The expectations of fulfilling such an important duty and the skills required are examined with an emphasis on how the safeguards may improve the lives of vulnerable adults.</p>