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Lasting Powers of Attorney
Keeping parents in the room after 18
When your child hits 18, the law flips a switch. Overnight, you’re told you can’t make decisions for them anymore — not about their health, not about their money, not even about benefits that keep daily life afloat.
Professionals and agencies start talking over your head. And yet, you’re still the one holding it all together.
That’s where a Lasting Power of Attorney (LPA) comes in. Only young people aged 18 and over can create one. An LPA is a legal safeguard that makes sure you, as a parent or trusted supporter, still have a voice alongside them.
The two types of lasting power of attorney
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Property & Finance → pays the bills, handles benefits, sorts bank accounts, deals with money.
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Health & Welfare → medical treatment, care plans, where your young person lives.
You can set up one or both. Either way, it means decisions aren’t left to strangers who don’t know your child.
Why capacity assessments matter
The Mental Capacity Act (2005) is clear: no one can assume whether a person has or hasn’t got capacity. It’s always about the specific decision in front of them. And that means each decision needs its own assessment and its own report. If your young person is making both types of LPA — Property & Finance, and Health & Welfare — we can do them in one visit for ease, but we will always write up two separate assessments.
Why? Because managing a bank account isn’t the same as choosing where to live. One may be possible, the other not. A single, catch-all assessment wouldn’t hold up in court. It risks being thrown out, leaving your young person unprotected and you sidelined. Our way is harder work, but it’s the only way that’s legally robust.
Our approach: conversation, not interrogation
Capacity assessments can sound cold, but with us they aren’t. We don’t sit your young person under a spotlight and fire questions at them. We sit alongside them. We talk, we listen, we check understanding gently, in their words and at their pace.
Yes, our reports are court-ready and CPR35 compliant — they’ll stand up to challenge if solicitors or the Office of the Public Guardian ever scrutinise them. But the process itself is therapeutic. It gives your child the dignity of being heard. It protects them from decisions being made “about” them rather than “with” them. And it gives you, as a parent, confidence that what matters most has been captured, recorded, and respected.
Why a capacity check before signing is so important
If your young person has special educational needs (SEN), a learning disability, autism, or any condition that might affect how they understand complex information, it’s wise — often essential — to get a capacity assessment before an LPA is signed.
The law (the Mental Capacity Act 2005) says an LPA is only valid if the person signing it can fully understand what it means, who they are giving power to, and the consequences of that decision. If this step is skipped or rushed, the Office of the Public Guardian can refuse to register the LPA, or it could be challenged later in court.
By completing a clear, therapeutic assessment before signing, you’re protecting your child, the validity of the LPA, and your right as a parent to keep being involved in their life after 18.
And here’s the extra bit of good news: when you book your assessment with us, we can also act as the Certificate Provider — the person who confirms your young person understands and is not being pressured into signing. We do this at no additional cost, so the whole process is smoother, safer, and recognised by solicitors and the OPG.
Getting the paperwork right
Before tribunal, there’s a fight worth having.
When the council issues a flimsy plan, refuses changes, or flat-out blocks your child’s support, mediation is your chance to make them listen — without waiting months for tribunal.
What we do:
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Assessment review → in-person or desktop check of your child’s actual needs.
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Gap analysis → we expose vague wording, missed support, and unlawful shortcuts.
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Mediation pack → a sharp, evidence-backed case that councils can’t dismiss.
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Expert advocacy → by your side virtually or in-person to keep the pressure on.
Why it matters:
Mediation can win real changes fast. With us preparing and standing beside you, it stops being a paper exercise and becomes a powerful tool to secure the right support.
Capacity Isn’t All or Nothing — It’s Decision by Decision
The Mental Capacity Act (2005) makes it clear: each choice needs its own assessment and its own report — anything less risks being thrown out and leaves your young person unprotected
Our Prices — No Surprises
Clear, fixed fees — all the way to tribunal.
Single LPA Capacity Assessment (Finance or Health):
£496
Dual LPA Capacity Assessment (both in one visit):
£767
Add-on: LPA drafting & document production
£150 for a single LPA
£200 Both
All prices are listed before VAT. If we need to travel to you, we’ll agree travel costs in advance — no hidden extras. For a personalised quote that fits your child’s needs, get in touch with us today.
Our process
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Step 1 – Call & Quote
You start with a free call. We’ll talk through your situation, explain the options, and give you a clear personalised quote. No waffle, no hidden extras. -
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Step 2 – Meet Your Assessor
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We’ll match you with a qualified assessor who’ll be in touch to arrange a home visit. They’ll meet with your young person — now an adult — in a calm, conversational way, and check capacity in line with the Mental Capacity Act (2005).
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Because they are an adult, we’ll take instructions directly from them on whether they want to complete an LPA and how they’d like it to be drawn up. If they have capacity, we’ll make sure the LPA forms reflect their wishes and are completed and signed.
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Step 3 – Quality Control
Back at head office, we double-check the paperwork, chase up any extra signatures if needed, and make sure everything is watertight. -
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Step 4 – Submission to OPG
We send the full pack off to the Office of the Public Guardian (OPG), saving you the back-and-forth stress. -
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Step 5 – OPG Review & Return
When the OPG send the documents back, we run another quality check to confirm it’s all in order. -
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Step 6 – Final Dispatch
Your completed, legally valid LPAs are sent to you. No mess, no delay, just peace of mind that you’ve still got a voice in your young person’s future.
Not Just Talk — Credentials That Count
We’re not a Facebook group or a “well-meaning mate.” We’re fully qualified, regulated professionals — with the badges to prove it.
✔ Member of BASW – British Association of Social Workers
✔ Member of Court of Protection Practitioners Association
✔ Accredited with Financial Vulnerability Taskforce
✔ Trusted SOLLA Affiliate – Society of Later Life Advisers
✔ Registered with Social Care Wales
Every assessment and appeal is handled by experts who know the law, the system, and how to fight your corner — with compassion and clarity.
Not sure where to start? Let's Talk.
Every family’s fight is different. Drop us a message or pick up the phone — we’ll listen, no jargon, no pressure.
