DOLS stands for Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards, which is a legal framework designed to protect the rights of people who cannot consent to their care arrangements in a care home or hospital if those arrangements deprive them of their liberty. The procedure is prescribed in law when it is necessary to deprive of their liberty a resident or patient who lacks capacity to consent to their care and treatment in order to keep them safe from harm. The Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS) can only be used if a person is in hospital or a care home. If a person is living in another setting, including in supported living or their own home, it is still possible to deprive the person of their liberty in their best interests, via an application to the Court of Protection. The DoLS procedure is designed to protect a person receiving care whose liberty has been limited by checking that this is appropriate and is in their best interests.