Deputy with Court of Protection
lemurles
Posts: 5 Forumite
Does anyone know how long it takes to be granted deputy with the Court of Protection? I sent off my application in early April, and the service desk keep telling me that it will be another four weeks - they've been telling me this since early July!
We've already spent over £3000 paying for all the stuff around the house, as well as the costs of the treatments not covered by the care home [hairdresser, chiropodist etc], and it's beginning to have an impact on our own finances. We applied for an interim order in May for some of the money to be released against receipts, but they've just been lumped into the overall application.
The worst thing is the lack of any clear guidance. Any input would be a real help.
We've already spent over £3000 paying for all the stuff around the house, as well as the costs of the treatments not covered by the care home [hairdresser, chiropodist etc], and it's beginning to have an impact on our own finances. We applied for an interim order in May for some of the money to be released against receipts, but they've just been lumped into the overall application.
The worst thing is the lack of any clear guidance. Any input would be a real help.
0
Comments
-
Can't help, but was it an urgent application? Don't know if that would make a difference.
I'd phone and ask how to make a complaint: they will have a complaints procedure.Signature removed for peace of mind0 -
My correctly completed form went to the CoP in June and the next set of forms were sent to me shortly after. I called them last week and got no answer so emailed them. A reply came practically straight back saying that the forms had gone to the court with the end of July and would take approximately 8-10 weeks to be decided upon. They advised me to call in about 3 weeks time.0
-
Can't help, but was it an urgent application? Don't know if that would make a difference.
I'd phone and ask how to make a complaint: they will have a complaints procedure.
Savvy_Sue,
Thanks for that. Oddly enough, after posting the question, a letter came through, mailed on the 26th August, telling me they had approved it on 22nd July. The letter said I needed to apply for a surety bond [£300!] via a front company for Aviva, who would advise the Court the bond was in place, after which they would release the official documents. I phoned the helpline and they said that would take about three weeks after they were notified!!
Every week's delay means I am pulling about £100-£150 out of my own account. I'd love for some of the civil servants to have to manage the effects of the system's own sluggishness, but I bet they fast-track their own files.
At this rate it will be the end of September before we are able to act, which will be just under six months from start to finish.
I've written to my MP, but just have the usual blah about referring it to the relevant department.0 -
My correctly completed form went to the CoP in June and the next set of forms were sent to me shortly after. I called them last week and got no answer so emailed them. A reply came practically straight back saying that the forms had gone to the court with the end of July and would take approximately 8-10 weeks to be decided upon. They advised me to call in about 3 weeks time.
Ettenna
Good luck with the application. All my paperwork was in order, and some of the notified people actually wrote to advise they support the application, so everything was seen to be above board.
Just don't take anything the helpline tells you as gospel. I've been told shedloads of things that didn't happen, as well as a number of direct contradictions. It doesn't help that the CoP has something like 15000 applications a month, and this is supposed to be increasing. Towards the end of the process, I was phoning them every week, and all they would do was 'put a note on the file' that I'd called.
Fortunately Mum's car was on the drive, otherwise we would have been stuffed when it came to having to MOT and re-tax it. What the insurance companies do about the situation of an unoccupied property when they won't speak to anyone about anything due to data protection is anyone's guess - just refuse to pay up in the event of a prospective claim, as they do in as many cases as they can everywhere else, I suppose.
Anyway, I hope your application goes through quicker than ours.0 -
I have finally got Deputyship, Property & Finances for my daughter! It's only taken nearly a year.
I am involved with a charity called Brain Injury is BIG and they have just made presentation to the people in charge at the Court of Protection about how long the process takes and what a strain it is on families who are already under immense strain caring for relatives. I am lucky that I don't "need" to be a Deputy urgently because my daughter doesn't have a house, didn't pay bills, etc but many, many people (like yourself) do!
I hope your situation is sorted out now.0 -
Ettena
Good luck. My deputyship came through in late September, but dated the 2nd - where it was between those dates is anyone's guess. It only meant another thousand pounds out of my account, so no pressure there.
The Office of the Public Guardian seems to think that all families are out to rip off their loved ones, despite all the hoops we've gone through. There was a piece on Radio 4 that suggested over 285,000 suspected cases of financial abuse of vulnerable relatives were being carried out by family members, so there may be some justification. My guess is the problems lay with those who aren't trying to do the Right Thing. It may be a solution to prosecute those who abuse vulnerable people.
Either way, things are progressing slowly, but every step along the route is like wading waist-high through treacle.
My OPG supervisor appears sympathetic to some of the travesties the bureaucracy raises, but until the politicians are exposed to it themselves, there doesn't seem any steam to make it easier.
Just like the rest of the social system, by dumping the problems onto the carers, the energy we need to kick back is absorbed in other areas, so the issues remain running sores.
Hope all goes well with your dealings with Big Govt.0
This discussion has been closed.
Categories
- All Categories
- 343.1K Banking & Borrowing
- 250.1K Reduce Debt & Boost Income
- 449.7K Spending & Discounts
- 235.2K Work, Benefits & Business
- 607.9K Mortgages, Homes & Bills
- 173K Life & Family
- 247.8K Travel & Transport
- 1.5M Hobbies & Leisure
- 15.9K Discuss & Feedback
- 15.1K Coronavirus Support Boards