In another article I started to outline a survival guide for those of us who have to deal with the Court of Protection on a regular basis and pointed out that there are in fact three distinct organisations that each do a specific job in relation to deputyships; the Court of Protection itself, The Office of the Public Guardian and the Court Funds Office.
Court of Protection - there is a helpline for deputies which is 0300 456 4600. However due to high demand you will often spend a long time listening to hold music before you get put through to an adviser. When you do get put through make sure you have the case number and the date of birth of the person you are acting for to hand.
There is also an email enquiries service at courtofprotectionenquiries@hmcourts-service.gsi.gov.uk. Replies are usually received the same day or the next day, which could save a huge amount of time and frustration.
Office of the Public Guardian there is a helpline on 0300 456 0300. Just as with the Court of Protecton helpline, there is usually a long queue before you get put through to an adviser. Make sure you have the case number and the date of birth and full name of the person you are acting for so that the adviser can identify the case correctly.
There is an email enquiry service at customerservices@publicguardian.gsi.gov.uk. However, unlike the email service forth Court of Protection, it can take up to 10 working days to get a substantive response to your query.
Court Funds Office - The Court Funds Office has an enquiry line on 0845 233 8500 and it is usually reasonably quick to get through to an adviser. You will need to have the deputy's name, the court funds account number (not to be confused with the case number from the Court of Protection) as well as the name and the date of birth of the person you are acting for. They will provide an up to the minute balance of funds on the account as well as details of any transactions. They are also able to give advice on required procedures for various transactions.
If you are enquiring about the transfer of funds from the local court, it is helpful to have the Queen's Bench account number to hand as well.
The Court Funds website at www.courtfunds.gov.uk/cfo/cop has useful information on how to open an account at CFO, how to put money in and take money out as well as links to other useful information. There is also an email enquiry facillty at enquiries@courtfunds.gsi.gov.uk, but as the telephone service is reasonably quick I have never actually used this facility.
