Office of the Public Guardian

Panel Deputy Diversification Project

Office of the Public Guardian

Andrew CartwrightProject Support 20 February 2014

Office of the Public Guardian

Presentation objectives:

1. A brief history of the panel

2. An overview of the project

3. Diversification of the panel

4. Access to the panel

5. Standard setting

6. Project actions

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A brief history of the panel (From PTO to OPG)

2001 – Panel of receivers of last resort established

2007 – Converted to panel of deputies of last resort

2011 – New panel of deputies established

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2001 panel of receivers

• 300 panel members

• 1300 last resort referrals

• No mechanism to prevent the rejection of cases

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2007 panel of deputies

• Membership reduced to 170 deputies

• Appointed under similar terms as the 2001 panel

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2011 panel of deputies

• Membership reduced to 65 deputies

• A new service level agreement introduced

• The OPG created the panel deputy support team

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Why are we reviewing the panel?

The three key pillars of the project are:

• Diversification

• Access to the panel

• Standard setting

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Diversification• The Lord Chancellor’s initial recommendations for the

panel placed an emphasis on the need to include a variety of organisations from the private and the third sectors

• Initial analysis of referrals to the current panel shows that there may be scope for the inclusion of a greater range of deputyship service providers

• The OPG would also like to facilitate the development of a

wider range of options for people who require a deputy, providing the court with a greater choice when deciding who to appoint

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The most requested client expertise areas are 2 – Mental

Illness and 3 – Age Related Illnesses

Diversification: Skills and ExpertiseClient Expertise Selection

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Expertise

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Diversification: Skills and Expertise

The skill most often requested is skill 8 – State Benefits

Skill Selection

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Skills

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Access to the panel

• The panel must provide coverage for England and Wales

• The panel must be managed in such a way to allow the court to select the most appropriate deputy in each case

• The OPG hopes to improve engagement with the panel

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Access to the panel

Geographical Spread of Referrals

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Geographical Area

• 25% of all referrals are in geo area 11 – London• 6 geo areas account for almost 60% of all referrals

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Standard Setting

“If deputies are being paid for their services, they are expected to demonstrate a higher degree of care or skill when carrying out their duties.”Mental Capacity Act 2005 – Code of Practice, Chapter 8.57

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Project Actions

To date –

• Held an internal project launch

• Renewed the current panel’s service level agreement until 31 March 2015

• Prepared communications for parties interested in joining the panel

• Assisted with the supervision review project on annual plans and assurance visits

• Research, research, research!

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Project Actions

Future Actions –

ENGAGEMENT!

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Thank you

Office of the Public Guardian

PO Box 16185

Birmingham

B2 2WH    

Contact centre 0300 456 0300

General emailcustomerservices@publicguardian.gsi.gov.uk

Panel Deputy Diversification ProjectOPGPanelDeputyProject@publicguardian.gsi.gov.uk

Websitesgov.uk/power-of-attorney

gov.uk/apply-to-the-court-of-protection