Who can become an appointee?

Appointeeship is a service that can be provided by anyone with sufficient financial knowledge to support a vulnerable individual. This could be anyone from a family member to an organisation pre-approved by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP). Typically, an appointee must be able to prove the following:

a) that they are over the age of 18.

b) that they have sufficient understanding of the role and its requirements.

c) that they can prioritise best interests when making decisions on someone else’s behalf.



Where these conditions have not been satisfied and/or there is a safeguarding risk present (such as financial abuse), the DWP will reject the application. However, they may sometimes choose to deny an application despite the above requirements being met. This is commonly due to a conflict of interest – something local authorities and care providers are more susceptible to.

For example, although care providers may seem suitable due to their relationship to the client, this can pose a risk to both duties. Carers are responsible for delivering an efficient service – which can clash with the management of a limited client budget.

Due to this not reflecting best practice, these arrangements are being increasingly discouraged. Nowadays, many professionals are instead partnering with organisations who can provide an impartial appointee service (such as Money Carer).

For further information about our services, please download our appointeeship guide.