
Dementia currently affects 1 in 14 people in the UK. Many people will either know someone with dementia, have had to support and care for someone with dementia or have been diagnosed themselves.
The Guardianship (Missing Persons) Act 2017 came into force in England and Wales on 31 July 2019 creating a new legal representative role of Guardian to represent the affairs of somebody who has gone missing. The Act enables a court-appointed person – the Guardian – to act in the best interests of the missing person after their absence from their life for 90 days.
This piece of legislation is of great importance to families who have a missing relative. Previously, it was not possible to administer the financial affairs of somebody who had gone missing for the period from the date they went missing until they had been missing for seven years, at which point they could be presumed dead.
This left families unable to sell properties proactively, requiring mortgage repossession in some cases, or access bank accounts for their missing loved ones, either dissipating assets due to ongoing standing orders remaining in place, for example, or leaving loved ones such as spouses and children without access to vital financial resources.
With the introduction of the new Act, the court has also recognised that there will be occasions where an independent professional needs to be appointed to represent the affairs of a missing person. The Office of the Public Guardian has, therefore, opened a panel of guardians who can administer the affairs of those missing where such a professional appointment is required.
Donna leads the personal planning team at Anthony Collins Solicitors and is an Office of the Public Guardian Panel Deputy and STEP member, with wide experience of mental capacity property and affairs matters - appointment of a deputy, assisting lay deputies, deputyship administration and Lasting Powers of Attorney.
Should you have any queries with regards to the Guardianship (Missing Persons) Act 2017 or need to make an application to court should you have a missing loved one whose financial affairs need to be dealt with either by yourself or by an independent professional, please contact Donna.
Dementia currently affects 1 in 14 people in the UK. Many people will either know someone with dementia, have had to support and care for someone with dementia or have been diagnosed themselves.
The 2022 Code replaces the NHF Code of Conduct 2012 (the 2012 Code) and sets out the baseline standards that the NHF expects of its member registered providers (RPs).
The High Court has dismissed a challenge by the Police Superintendents’ Association to the closure of legacy public sector pension schemes.
In my recent blog, I said that we would be issuing a series of ebriefings and blogs highlighting issues with the Procurement Bill. This is the first of these.
Contractors and delivery partners are facing a ‘perfect storm’ in many cases with a number of factors directly impacting upon the profitability of their work.
Worker status, like Piers Morgan, is one of those things that we think has gone away and then it pops up again!
We are seeing a steady trickle of decisions focused around the issue of flexible working requests or employer requirements for changes to working patterns (both pre and post the pandemic).
For those of us who have endured a choppy cross channel journey, the mention of P&O Ferries will invoke some nauseous memories.
Successive generations have witnessed seismic shifts in the workplace; post-war it was the return of the soldiers and the impact on working women who had to work in their place.
In this podcast, Puja Desai interviews Kimberley Foster and discusses her experience with counselling. This is a really helpful podcast for anyone who has thought about counselling.