Social Services refusing to complete capacity assessment for COP3

[Violet Jane]

Yes, I think that the safeguarding route might be an alternative way to go. Perhaps you could contact the police, giving these men's names. If they have criminal records the police might well take an interest as your cousin is clearly very vulnerable.

I would start by having a word with her neighbours. They may have a view on what's going on. Has your cousin been seen recently? Who is coming to the house? It's your cousin's house and there shouldn't be a stream of random strangers turning up.

I would also contact her GP urgently and set out your concerns. If invitations to appointments and for vaccinations aren't being responded to then that's a red flag. I would expect her to have been seen by some health or social care professional in the past two years.

Look, sometimes friends are appointed attorneys for good, practical reasons. My husband was one but he is a solicitor and my friend's own solicitors (a different firm) drew up the POA and, presumably, discussed with her who should be appointed. The second attorney was the son of friends she had known for years. The POA was drawn up 10 years before our friend was diagnosed with dementia. This situation is much more unusual and suspicious and, on the face of it, could well be a case of crooks befriending a vulnerable elderly person for financial benefit.

 

[carbonel7]

The thing with capacity is that a person with dementia can still have it long after their diagnosis. It really only comes into focus when there has been an incident such as wandering , aggressive behaviour, failure to keep them self safe. Your cousin may well still have mental capacity but from what you say that does not mean she is not being coerced by the attorneys . I’m not an expert but I’m wondering if this is a better hook with which to force social services hand into making a full investigation under safeguarding of a vulnerable adult.

Good point, she may still be deemed to have capacity..I've made a case to SS for coercive control and undue influence and now I have evidence of the false statements that the LPA's made to my cousin, I've gone back to them to ask that they investigate so that I can show the LPA's have lied so that her family can regain contact with her before it's too late..

 

[carbonel7]

The whole thing sounds very, very odd.

Im actually beginning to wonder whether this is a case of cuckooing

Honestly, you couldn't make this up..people don't believe me when I tell them what's been going on and how SS seem to think it's all above board. I had a F2F meeting with SS last year and even showed them a video of my cousin expressing freely her wishes and was told simply that she was just telling me what I wanted to hear! This is why I am calling SS again to investigate the false statements the LPA's have made.

 

[carbonel7]

Yes, I think that the safeguarding route might be an alternative way to go. Perhaps you could contact the police, giving these men's names. If they have criminal records the police might well take an interest as your cousin is clearly very vulnerable.

I would start by having a word with her neighbours. They may have a view on what's going on. Has your cousin been seen recently? Who is coming to the house? It's your cousin's house and there shouldn't be a stream of random strangers turning up.

I would also contact her GP urgently and set out your concerns. If invitations to appointments and for vaccinations aren't being responded to then that's a red flag. I would expect her to have been seen by some health or social care professional in the past two years.

Look, sometimes friends are appointed attorneys for good, practical reasons. My husband was one but he is a solicitor and my friend's own solicitors (a different firm) drew up the POA and, presumably, discussed with her who should be appointed. The second attorney was the son of friends she had known for years. The POA was drawn up 10 years before our friend was diagnosed with dementia. This situation is much more unusual and suspicious and, on the face of it, could well be a case of crooks befriending a vulnerable elderly person for financial benefit.

Exactly! Violet Jane you have hit the nail on the head! My cousin told SS that the gardener and handyman are her friends but as I've pointed out to SS you don't pay friends to come and see you which is what my cousin routinely did as I would see regular cheques being paid out to them for their "time". My cousin believed this to be normal to the point she offer to pay me every time I visited to which I always told her no that there was no need. But again, SS told me that if she wants to pay them then that's up to her! They saw no issue with it her paying her "friends" the LPA's for their time...I'm writing a letter to her GP today.

Even before the gardener and handyman were registered as LPA's, they were very interested and invested in my cousin wanting to know what I was doing for her even demanding to know how I was related to her.

 

[Jaded'n'faded]

In your communications with SS, GP, etc, I would also state that if anything untoward IS happening, you will hold them personally responsible, having flagged up your concerns to them numerous times. Perhaps a few phrases like, professional negligence, lack of due diligence, failure to act when they have duty of care, etc, might help too.

Don't give up!

 

[Violet Jane]

LPAs are not allowed to benefit financially from their position as attorneys. Solicitors and possibly one or two other professionals are allowed to charge for the time they spend managing the PWD’s financial affairs under a finance POA (I don’t know about work done under a health and welfare POA). I don’t know what the position is regarding handymen, gardeners etc but, clearly, there’s plenty of scope for inflated invoices. They can’t charge merely for companionship.