The Office of the Public Guardian (OPG) is encouraging wills and probate lawyers and legal professionals to report concerns about attorneys or deputies who may not be acting in the best interest of the person they support.
Last year, OPG teams handled more than 11,000 concerns, but only around a third fell within the organisation’s legal powers to act. In a bid to help legal professionals highlight suspicious behaviour, the OPG says it has made the process clearer and easier to navigate.
Concerns about the misuse of a lasting or enduring power of attorney or deputyship order should be reported online, the OPG said this week. The improved service was launched in October last year and has been designed to make reporting simpler, quicker and more accessible.
“We hope this will become the main route for concerns to be reported to us,” the OPG added.
Examples of concerning behaviour and activity the OPG will investigate include decisions that appear to benefit the attorney or deputy rather than the vulnerable individual, decisions being made that go beyond the attorney’s or deputy’s responsibilities, or the sale of assets that don’t serve the best interests of the person at risk.
“If we’re unable to investigate, we will explain any reasoning and direct you to other organisations that may be able to help, such as the police or local authorities,” the OPG said.
“When a concern is raised, we review all available information to determine if we have enough evidence and the legal authority to act.”
