Panel Deputy Diversification Project
Andrew Cartwright
Project 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
Office of the Public Guardian
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
Office of the Public Guardian
2001 panel of receivers
• 300 panel members
• 1300 last resort referrals
• No mechanism to prevent the rejection of cases
Office of the Public Guardian
2007 panel of deputies
• Membership reduced to 170 deputies
• Appointed under similar terms as the 2001 panel
Office of the Public Guardian
2011 panel of deputies
• Membership reduced to 65 deputies
• A new service level agreement introduced
• The OPG created the panel deputy support team
Office of the Public Guardian
Why are we reviewing the panel?
The three key pillars of the project are:
• Diversification
• Access to the panel
• Standard setting
Office of the Public Guardian
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
Office of the Public Guardian
Diversification: Skills and Expertise
Client Expertise Selection
500
400
300
200
100
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
Expertise
The most requested client expertise areas are 2 – Mental
Illness and 3 – Age Related Illnesses
Office of the Public Guardian
Diversification: Skills and Expertise
Skill Selection
900
800
700
600
500
400
300
200
100
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
Skills
The skill most often requested is skill 8 – State Benefits
Office of the Public Guardian
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
Office of the Public Guardian
Access to the panel
Geographical Spread of Referrals
250
200
150
100
50
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29
Geographical Area
• 25% of all referrals are in geo area 11 – London
• 6 geo areas account for almost 60% of all referrals
Office of the Public Guardian
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
Office of the Public Guardian
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!
Office of the Public Guardian
Project Actions
Future Actions –
ENGAGEMENT!
Office of the Public Guardian
Thank you
Office of the Public Guardian
PO Box 16185
Birmingham
B2 2WH
Contact centre
0300 456 0300
Websites
gov.uk/power-of-attorney
gov.uk/apply-to-the-court-of-protection
General email
[email protected]
Panel Deputy Diversification Project
[email protected]
Office of the Public Guardian