At-Home Series - Virtual Court of Protection Assessments
•The world of social distancing continues to present some practical difficulties when assisting clients with applications to the Court of Protection.
•One area of applications that have proved more difficult recently has been arranging capacity assessments in order for the COP3 form to be completed.
•Whilst it has not been possible for assessors to make face to face visits during lockdown, many assessments have successfully been carried out virtually using video conferencing facilities.
•In past experience, the person being assessed has been more than comfortable using an iPad or tablet to take part in the assessment and many of us have been using these tools anyway to keep in touch with isolated friends and relatives during lockdown.
•It may be necessary to ensure that an independent party (such as a care home member of staff) can assist with the practicalities of the assessment, so always check with the home or a carer that they are happy to assist before arranging any assessment.
• It will be interesting to see if virtual assessments remain more commonplace as lockdown eases and where they continue to be appropriate.
•If you have any queries about making applications to the Court of Protection, do get in touch with a member of the team here at Wrigleys to see if we can help.
