An independent social worker can help you plan for later life by assessing what you want and need, writing it into a plan that professionals must take into account, certifying a lasting power of attorney, assessing mental capacity, and acting as an independent voice for your wishes. I offer that service to people who do not have family close by, and to families supporting an older relative from a distance.
Most of the systems that look after us when we are older quietly assume there is a family in the background. Someone to ring when you are admitted to hospital. Someone to say what you would have wanted. Someone to notice that the care is not good enough and make a fuss about it. A growing number of people do not have that person, or have them on the other side of the world, and the law does less to fill the gap than most people think.
I am an independent social worker, registered with Social Work England, and a qualified Best Interests Assessor under the Mental Capacity Act. Most of my work is writing assessments for the Family Court, where my job is to find out what is really going on in someone's life and set it down in a way that other professionals can act on. This is the same skill, used earlier and for a kinder purpose: helping you decide what you want your later life to look like, getting it written down properly, and making sure somebody independent knows you well enough to speak up for it.
Who this is for
People planning ahead on their own. You may not have children, or your family may live abroad, or the people closest to you may be your own age. You are managing perfectly well now. You would like to know that if that changes, the people making decisions will know who you are and what matters to you.
Couples who are each other's only plan. Most couples assume one will look after the other. It is worth deciding now what happens to the one who is left, or what happens if you both need help at once.
Families at a distance. If your mother is in Northumberland and you are in Sydney, or Surrey, a telephone call tells you what she wants you to hear. An independent visit tells you how she is actually managing.
Solicitors, attorneys and deputies. Where you need an independent capacity assessment, or an independent view of what is in a client's best interests, written by someone used to having every line tested.
What I do
A later life planning assessment, with a written plan.
Two or three unhurried conversations, at your home where I can get to you and by video where I cannot. We cover how you live now, your health, the people in your life, what you would and would not want if you became ill or could no longer manage, where you would want to be cared for, and what worries you. I look at what you already have in place, and what is missing. You then receive a plan in plain English: a written statement of your wishes and values, which the Mental Capacity Act says anyone deciding for you must consider, a list of the decisions still to make and who can help with each, and a one-page emergency sheet for your GP, your neighbours and your hospital notes. It is yours, and you decide who sees it.
Lasting power of attorney certificates.
Every lasting power of attorney needs a certificate provider: an independent person who confirms that you understand what you are signing and that nobody is pressuring you. If you have no friend of two years' standing to ask, the Office of the Public Guardian's guidance lists a registered social worker among the professionals who can do it. I meet you on your own, go through the document with you, and sign the certificate if I am satisfied. I can do this because I never act as anyone's attorney.
Mental capacity assessments.
Capacity is about one decision at one time, not about a diagnosis. I carry out decision-specific assessments under the Mental Capacity Act for individuals, families, solicitors, attorneys and deputies, including where a formal assessment is needed for the Court of Protection. The report sets out what was asked, how I supported the person to decide for themselves, and my conclusion against each part of the legal test.
An independent professional who knows you.
For people who want it, the plan is the start and not the end. I visit once or twice a year to keep the plan current. You name me in it as someone you want to be consulted about your wishes, and the Mental Capacity Act says that anyone deciding for you must consult the people you have named wherever that is practicable. If you go into hospital, or your care is being reviewed, I can attend and make sure what you wanted is in the room. I do not make decisions for you and I hold no power over your affairs. My job is to make sure your voice is heard by the people who do.
Independent eyes for families at a distance.
With your relative's agreement I visit, spend proper time, and write an honest account of how they are managing: the home, their health and mood, what help they have and what they are entitled to under the Care Act, any risks, and practical recommendations. I write to your relative as well as to you, because it is their life.
The first conversation is free and commits you to nothing. Tell me a little about your situation and I will tell you honestly whether I can help, and what it would involve.
Get in touch →What I do not do
I do not give legal advice or draft legal documents. I work alongside your solicitor, and if you do not have one I will suggest you look for a member of the Association of Lifetime Lawyers, which used to be called Solicitors for the Elderly. I do not give financial advice; for care fees planning, look for an adviser accredited by the Society of Later Life Advisers. I do not act as an attorney, a deputy or an executor. I never handle a client's money, I do not accept gifts, and I cannot benefit from a client's will. I do not provide personal care. Those lines are there to protect you, and they are written into my terms.
How it works
We start with a free telephone or video call of about twenty minutes. If I can help, I send you written terms and the number of hours the work will take, so you know the cost before you agree to anything. I am based in the North East and visit in person across the region. Elsewhere in England and Wales I can travel, with the travel costed in advance, or work by video where that suits you. The written plan reaches you within three weeks of our last conversation.
Fees
My rate is £42 an hour, the same rate I charge for court work, with travel at £28 an hour and 55p a mile. A planning assessment and written plan is typically 12 to 16 hours. A lasting power of attorney certificate is typically 3 to 4 hours for each person. A capacity assessment with a written report is typically 6 to 10 hours. A review visit with an updated plan is typically 3 to 5 hours. The hours are agreed in writing before the work starts, and the invoice at the end is the figure you were given at the beginning. The full rate card sets out every figure.
Getting in touch
Send me a message, email vince@socialworkassessment.com or call 0191 716 5069. If you are enquiring about a relative, it helps to know where they live and whether they know you are getting in touch.