The Office of the Public Guardian (OPG) has published a new set of standards to help court appointed deputies in delivering their duties.
This comes as previous standards were described as “difficult to use”, contributing to a gap for lay deputies.
As well as catering for lay deputies, the new standards are “more focused” and are built around eight core areas encompassing all the duties and responsibilities of a deputy. “Much of the material in the original standards has now been re-shaped and included within the supporting guidance,” said the OPG.
The OPG did, however, note that this is “not the introduction of a completely new set of standards as the guiding principles of the refreshed standards remain the same and continue to be aligned with the Mental Capacity Act”.
In any case, all deputies, including lay deputies, will now be supervised against these refreshed standards. The standards can be used as a checklist to help deputies make sure they are thinking about all the relevant areas of their role. The OPG said:
“If you are a deputy, it’s important that you read through the information to understand how these apply to you and the delivery of your role.”
The refreshed standards and accompanying guidance are now available on GOV.UK.
