Office of the Public Guardian updates

Professional Guardians Scheme

The Office of the Public Guardian (OPG) launched the professional guardianship scheme in May 2017, introducing a sampling approach to reviewing annual accounts submitted by professional financial guardians. Those who have already joined the scheme – 36 firms to date – are experiencing faster processing time, meaning quicker access to remuneration.

OPG is now offering more firms the chance to join. To be eligible, firms must be acting as financial guardian for at least five cases. Firms will need to nominate a scheme owner (NSO) to attend a mandatory half day workshop. The workshops are scheduled to run in September/October 2018.

Click here for more information on submitting an application.

Updated attorney declaration forms – EPOAR submissions

The attorney declaration form that can be used to record that an attorney is willing to act has recently been updated. The form now includes information on the duties and responsibilities of attorneys. The new form not only asks the attorney to declare that they are not currently bankrupt; it asks for a declaration that their estate has not been sequestrated and that a protected trust deed has not been granted.

Click here for the up-to-date form.