What should we do if enforcement officers arrive to see a resident who has capacity, to ask for money owed to the local authority when they have court authorisation?

Answered by Sheila Scott

Dear Joan,

This is an interesting question. If the resident has mental capacity and that the Courts have made an order, then your resident must make payment to the Local Authority.

It is the resident’s welfare that you must be concerned about of course. Therefore, you should ask the resident if he/she is comfortable to see the enforcement officer on their own or if they would like to have someone with him/her.

If they would like to have someone with them, would he/she like to have a member of their family or a friend, or would they be happier to have someone from the home attend. The important thing here is that for a resident in a care home this could be frightening and I am sure that in most cases the Local Authority would like this to be handled with sensitivity. Try to work with the Local Authority as they do their job to ensure the well-being of your resident.

With best wishes.

Sheila

PS if anyone from a Local Authority is reading this I would be very pleased to hear what they think.