Chris Carter
Mob: 07929 442 137

Professional Qualifications: BA (Hons), CQSW

Primary Work Location: Shropshire, Staffordshire, Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire, Leicestershire, Warwickshire, and parts of West Midlands, North Wales and Greater Manchester

Background: Teaching, managing residential care, social work, care management, Lord Chancellor’s Visitor (now Court of Protection Visitor)

Skills and Experience:
• Children & families
• People with learning disabilities
• Mental health
• Approved Social Worker (1983 Mental Health Act)
• Dementia
• Brain injury

Areas of Expertise:
• Independent visiting, monitoring and reporting
• Support, advice, advocacy and counselling for clients and carers
• Mental Health Act 1983 (e.g. tribunals and Care Programme Approach)
• Mental Capacity Act (e.g. skills-based certification of LPAs, supporting attorneys and deputies)
• Training
• NHS & Community Care Act 1990 assessment and planning (e.g. direct payments, benefits, promoting independence, evaluating residential care placements)

Send Chris an Enquiry: 

Vivienne Creech
Tel: 01704 579650
Mob: 07818 247 397

Primary Work Location: Cumbria, Cheshire, Lancashire and Merseyside

Background: Appointed as a Lord Chancellor’s Visitor in 1999 having previously visited clients for the Public Trust Department 1979-1984. Appointed as a Lord Chancellor’s Welfare Officer on Northern Circuit 1973-1984. Previously worked in various departments of the Court Service. Currently contracted as a Court of Protection Visitor

Skills and Experience: Twelve years experience of visiting clients under the Court of Protection and Public Trust Office, understanding the needs of those with mental health problems, learning difficulties, dementia and brain injury. Vivienne has counselling and communication skills. She is a facilitator and is adept at problem solving

Areas of Expertise:
• Independent Visiting and Reporting Service.
• Care Home Appraisals
• Skills based Certificate Provider for Lasting Powers of Attorney
• Needs Assessments
• MCA Training

Send Viv an Enquiry:

Lynne Edwards
Tel: 01937 557 795
Mob: 07763 379 492

Professional Qualifications: BA Law (Hons); PGCE

Primary Work Location: Yorkshire, Teesside, County Durham, Tyne and Wear, Northumberland, part of Lincolnshire (LN / DN postcode).

Experience: After completing her law studies, Lynne began her career working as a case officer and team manager at the then Public Trust Office, acquiring a sound knowledge of Court of Protection practice whilst overseeing the management of clients’ finances.

On her appointment as Staff Welfare Officer, Lynne moved to the north-east. Here she worked with a diverse client base offering counselling to individuals, advising managers, liaising and negotiating with various organisations and planning, co-ordinating and running training courses. Part of her role also entailed carrying out visits on behalf of the Court of Protection as a Lord Chancellor’s Visitor.

In 1996 Lynne became a self-employed Lord Chancellor’s Visitor (and subsequently a Court of Protection Visitor). Over the years she has gained extensive experience working with clients lacking capacity, their families, receivers/deputies and carers. She has assisted with problem-solving, budget management, given support and advice and made written recommendations to the Court to facilitate effective case management.

The advent of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 brought new challenges. A founder member of AIVuk, Lynne now works solely as an Independent Visitor, undertaking a wide range of commissions on behalf of clients.

Expertise: Commissions have included (the list is not exhaustive):
• Acting as Part B certificate provider for Lasting Power of Attorney
• Annual client visits on behalf of Court of Protection deputies
• Assessment of capacity
• Advice on suitability of client accommodation
• Application for benefits
• Case management
• Advocacy and mediation
• Training on the Mental Capacity Act (and now available in relation to the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards).
• Has also advised on best interests decisions and where NHS continuing healthcare funding applications should be made.

Send Lynne an Enquiry: 

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Primary Work Location: North London, East London, Hertfordshire, Kent and Essex

Background: Helena is a Senior Practitioner working part time on an Inner London Emergency Duty Social Work team. Appointed as a Lord Chancellor’s Visitor in 2001 Helena has provided a visiting and report writing service to clients of the Court of Protection.

Helena is an Approved Social worker and is a qualified Psychiatric Nurse; she has a wide range of experience in the Statutory Sector working with all client groups of all ages. She has front line and care management experience with severe and enduring mental illness, dementias, learning disabilities, brain injuries and children at risk

Areas of Expertise:
• Independent visiting and reporting
• Service of documents
• Skills based certification for Lasting Powers of Attorney
• Independent community care assessments
• Care Management
• Care/CPA Reviews
• Mental Capacity Act 2005
• Mental Health Act 1983

Send Helena an Enquiry: 

Patti Simonson
Tel: 020 8946 2829
Fax: 020 8944 9533
Mob.: 07903 555 243

Professional Qualifications: B.A. Econ. CQSW, PQSW

Primary Work Location: Central and South/South West Greater London and North Surrey areas

Background: Patti is a registered social worker with extensive experience in health and social care settings relating to people with disability, mental health and capacity needs. She heads up a specialist social work team and undertakes current and future care planning from rehabilitation into community settings which includes complex family work, clinical multidisciplinary team working, brokerage for care packages and longer term resource identification and facilitation. She provides an independent brain injury case management service and she is a Court of Protection Visitor for the Office of the Public Guardian.

Skills and Experience:
• Lord Chancellor’s Visitor and Visitor for the Court of Protection
• Mental Capacity Act 2005 implementation, including provision of Skills Based Certificate for LPAs
• Community Care, Mental Health and Mental Capacity practice requirements
• Independent Brain Injury Case Management within Personal Injury Litigation procedures
• Safeguarding Adults
• Department of Work and Pensions Benefits advice and applications
• Counselling
• Committee work, team work and training and events coordination
• Complaints procedures
• Staff training and social work practice teaching

Areas of Expertise:
• Independent Visiting and Reporting Service relating to the Mental Capacity Act 2005
• Skills based Certificate Provider for Lasting Powers of Attorney
• Citizen Advocacy
• Representation at Care and Care Programme Approach Reviews
• Staff Training
• Events and Conference Management
• Case Management Service for Personal Injury Litigation Claims and for complex statutory work
• Project work and feasibility studies
• Client’s rights work including areas relating to community care, mental capacity, elderly care, statutory funding, disputes, complaints, safeguarding best interests
• Serving of Court Documents

Send Patti an Enquiry:

Kathi Surtees
Mob: 07710 024 337

Primary Work Location: Berkshire, Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire, Hertfordshire, Essex, East Anglia, Northamptonshire and Middlesex.

Background: Appointed as a Lord Chancellor’s Visitor in 1996 and currently continues to be contracted as a Court of Protection Visitor. Prior to 1996, Katherine has worked for over fifteen years throughout the Court Service and in various areas of the Ministry of Justice.

Skills and Experience: Twelve years' experience of visiting clients of the Court of Protection with an understanding of the needs of those with enduring mental health problems, learning disabilities, dementia and brain injury. An understanding of budget and case management. An effective communicator with skills in organising events, problem solving and recruitment interviewing.

Areas of Expertise:
• Independent Visiting and Reporting Service
• Skills Based Certificate Provider for Lasting Powers of Attorney
• Service of documents

Send Kathi an Enquiry:

Professional Qualifications: Bachelor of Laws (Hons)

Primary Work Location: South Wales, Dudley, Worcestershire, Gloucestershire, Bristol and Bath, parts of Herefordshire, Somerset & Wiltshire

Background: In 2000 Tricia was appointed as the Lord Chancellor’s Visitor for areas between Yeovil
and Dudley, Bridgend and Trowbridge and has visited approximately 5000 clients for
the Court of Protection.

Tricia has spent nearly 20 years working with the elderly, especially those with varying forms of dementia, as well as people of all ages with head injuries, severe and enduring mental illness, learning difficulties, congenital conditions and physical disabilities. Tricia has long experience of providing training including 8 years successfully developing and providing motivational and business start up training to adults with physical and mental disabilities.

In 2007 Tricia set up Independent Feedback, to provide a UK welfare visiting and reporting service for families who have moved away or emigrated, leaving behind elderly relatives in care. This is of particular value to families resident or stationed abroad on either a permanent or temporary basis.

Tricia regularly contributes articles to magazines and newsletters.

Areas of Expertise:
• Independent Visiting and Reporting Service
• Skills based Certificate Provider for Lasting Powers of Attorney
• Conflict Resolution
• Training
• Service of Documents

Send Tricia an Enquiry:

Primary Work Location: Surrey, Sussex, Hampshire, East Dorset, Wiltshire, Birmingham.

Background: Appointed as a Lord Chancellor’s visitor in 1996 and currently continues to be contracted as a Court of Protection Visitor. Prior to this Lynne worked as a case worker in the Receivership Division of the Official Solicitor’s Office later The Public Trust Office and in 1988 became a visiting officer visiting clients whose affairs were managed under a Court of Protection order.

Skills and Experience: Lynne has a wide experience of working with people who because of mental disability lack the capacity to manage their financial affairs. To support clients and meet their needs she is used to engaging with family’s carers statutory services and professional and lay deputies. With a background in Court of Protection practice and procedure and with skills in reporting and communicating she also has experience of case management and budgeting.
She has been closely involved with setting up a Headway Branch in Wiltshire and is currently on the branch committee. Lynne is also on the Financial Abuse Forum in Hampshire and is an associate member of BISWG.

Areas of Expertise:
• Independent visiting
• Report writing
• Skills Based Certification of Capacity in Lasting Powers of Attorney
• Service of Documents

Send Lynne an Enquiry: 

Professional Qualifications: M.Sc. (Management of Disability at Work and in Rehabilitation)

Primary Work Location: Devon, Cornwall, South Somerset, West Dorset, north west London/Middlesex

Background:
Independent Consultant and Trainer for Community Care since 1991, undertaking a variety of contracts with national and local government, voluntary and private sectors. Social researcher. Lord Chancellor’s Visitor 2000-2008.

Skills and Experience:
• skills based certificate provider
• Serving of MCA Documents
• advice and information on all aspects of care/support provision
• assessment of needs
• care management
• case planning/management
• citizen advocacy
• expert witness
• independent investigation
• inspections and monitoring
• statuory funding NHS, social services and DWP) claims and appeals

Areas of Expertise:
• Physical Disability
• Learning Disability
• Mental health
• Dementia
• Acquired Brain injury
• Mental Capacity Act 2005
• NHS & Community Care Act 1990
• Carers (Recognition & Services) Act 1995

Send Judy an Enquiry: