An appointee has to be aged 18 plus and can be a family member or trusted friend or a specialist organisation whom the DWP can authorise to become the person’s corporate appointee.

The local council can also act as the appointee, although there can be conflicts of interest when local authorities become appointees. As such, many local authorities are choosing to partner with organisations such as Money Carer. Many local authorities do not have enough resources to provide an appointeeship service, which is another reason they cannot take on the role.

Some care providers also still act as appointees however, again, due to the conflicts of interest, these arrangements are increasingly being discouraged by local authorities and the care services regulator as not reflecting best practice.

For further information about becoming a DWP appointee, please download our appointee guide for family members.