Becoming an appointee

[Maxine788]

Hi

My sister is 54 years old and has significant learning disabilities (IQ 72) and various other mental disorders, she presents as a child of 8 - 14 years old. She is living independantly but is unable to budget her finances and spends all her DWP social care monies on things she doesn't need and has no monies left for food or utilities, she has an obsessive compulsive disorder that means she must go out and shop for things every day which she does not need (she spends £300 each week - hence the bank is not able to pay her bills) - she has been cut off utilities numerous times. She moves from bank to bank opening up new accounts - has anyone got any experience of completing a DWP BF56 form Application for 'appointment to act on behlf of someone else'. My sister will not give me authorisation to do this, but i have evidence from the bank and social services that shows she is unable to pay her bills on a regular basis.

[Charlie2750 Community friend]

Hello Maxine

I am an appointee and applying for me was a simple process many years ago.My son gets benefits and we had a visit from an employee from the benefits office to sign a simple form.All the benefits are then paid into a separate account that is in my name and my sons(this does not need to be so) but he has no control over it because he cannot go out alone and does not understand money.

It sounds as if you are in a good position to become an appointee however the problem is that your sister will refuse.

Are you able to negotiate with her that you open a separate account and set up paymnts for bills and she pays you?Or go to/phone DWP and ask for and fill in the appointee form.

If she has a lot of money which it sounds as if not you could apply to court of protection to be a Deputy to manage her affairs..I would think her social worker or the social services could advise.There are other posts on this forum that explain about benefits which you could gain information from which will help.

I used to work as a nurse in mental health many years ago but of recent days I have not heard people discussing or using IQ scores.but your sister does not appear to be severely learning disabled if she can live independently and open bank accounts as easily as that.She must be able to read and write especially if she functions as an 8-14 year old.A lot of 14 year old use mobile phones and budget well with moneys. You may need to prove that she does not have the mental capacity to understand budgets and you may need a doctor or social worker to help prove this. I am sorry if I sound unsure but a person with severe learning disabilites probably would be unable to live independantly without a lot of support from other agencies?

Good luck

[I_am_a_sibling Survey Community friend]

Hi Maxine788 , this sounds really tough. You are not alone. So many siblings are supporting their brothers and sisters who have learning disabilities to manage their finances. You just want your sister to be safe, healthy and have a good life. If you haven't already come across Sibs (the charity for brothers and sisters of disabled children and adults) do have a look at their website:

- Guides for adult siblings sibs.org.uk/support-for-adu...

- Support groups sibs.org.uk/support-for-adu...

- Get in touch for information or advice on sibling issues sibs.org.uk/contact/

Hope you're OK and you have good support nearby for yourself too? Let us know how it goes with the application. All the best, Fx