Office of the Public Guardian Panel Deputy Diversification Project Office of the Public Guardian 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 The most requested client expertise areas are 2 – Mental Illness and 3 – Age Related Illnesses Diversification: Skills and Expertise

Office of the Public Guardian Diversification: Skills and Expertise 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 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 Birmingham B2 2WH Contact centre General Panel Deputy Diversification Project Websites gov.uk/power-of-attorney gov.uk/apply-to-the-court-of-protection