Office
of the Public Guardian (OPG) or Public Guardianship Office - (PGO)
- Financial protection services
About
the Office of the Public Guardian (OPG) or Public Guardianship Office
- (PGO)
Please
note: Public Guardianship Office (PGO) is now the Office of the
Public Guardian (OPG)
The
role of the Public Guardian is to protect people who lack capacity
from abuse.
The
Public Guardian, supported by the Office of the Public Guardian
(OPG), helps protect people who lack capacity by:
Setting
up and managing a register of Lasting Powers of Attorney (LPA);
Setting up and managing a register of Enduring Powers of Attorney
(EPA); Setting up and managing a register of court orders that appoint
Deputies; Supervising Deputies, working with other relevant organisations
(for example, social services, if the person who lacks capacity
is receiving social care); Instructing Court of Protection Visitors
to visit people who may lack mental capacity to make particular
decisions and those who have formal powers to act on their behalf
such as Deputies; Receiving reports from Attorneys acting under
LPAs and from Deputies; and Providing reports to the COP, as requested,
and dealing with cases where there are concerns raised about the
way in which Attorneys or Deputies are carrying out their duties.
The Public Guardian is also personally responsible for the management
and organisation of the OPG, including the use of public money and
the way it manages its assets. A separate Public Guardian Board
scrutinises the work of the Public Guardian and then reports to
the Lord Chancellor.
Who
They are
The Office of the Public Guardian (OPG), established in October
2007, supports the Public Guardian in registering Enduring Powers
of Attorney (EPA), Lasting Powers of Attorney (LPA) and supervising
Court of Protection (COP) appointed Deputies. The OPG is an agency
of the Ministry of Justice. The OPG replaced the Public Guardianship
Office, the former administrative arm of the Court of Protection.
The OPG are based in North London and have responsibilities which
extend throughout England and Wales (separate arrangements exist
for Scotland and for Northern Ireland). The
OPG embraces all aspects of diversity and equality. Our commitments
are set out in the Ministry of Justice equality schemes which explains
how we plan to meet our statutory duties to promote equality.
What
They do
The OPG helps and supports Attorneys and Deputies in carrying out
their duties and protects people who lack the mental capacity to
make decisions for themselves. It does this through:
- Regulating
and supervising Court appointed Deputies and by registering LPAs
and EPAs.
- In
some cases, where there are suspicions that an Attorney or Deputy
might not be acting in the best interests of the Donor, the OPG
will work with other organisations to ensure that any allegations
of abuse are fully investigated and acted upon.
- The
OPG also provides information on mental capacity to the public,
legal and health professionals, and researchers. It can provide
contacts with other organisations working in the field of mental
capacity.
The
OPG also has responsibility for policy issues relating to the Mental
Capacity Act and in relation to mental capacity issues generally.
Contact
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