The Wholehearted Carer

I am standing on this soap box because: Annually …that is every single year of B’s life… us unpaid carer’s with legal guardianship get a special treat … drum roll please … The Office of the Public Guardian (Scotland) ‘invites’ us to submit an inventory and management plan for the previous financial year, just to check we aren’t dining out and travelling the world on B’s benefits!

Why this is soap box worthy: Every year I write …exactly the same thing and enclose …exactly the same documents.

How much of my time did the admin of this waste? Too much – in total it always take the best part of B’s 6 hours at Day centre.

We get the joy of :

1. Writing our full names as legal guardians
2. Declaring that NO B does not own a house
3. Citing all B’s bank accounts
4. Citing all B’s benefits
5. Summarising what we spend her vast wealth on e.g. dining out at Michelin starred restaurants, cruising the Med etc. Nah, not really, really I list her mobile contract, her Disney Plus subscription, her gym class, her carer’s petrol and expenses, her personal contributions to respite/day care/ carer’s, her payment plans to me for any items over £100!
6. Tick a box to confirm… (wait for it) … ‘contact with the adult’ …oh how we laugh

Then we get to scurry round the house and internet locating, saving, downloading, printing, photographing and attaching evidence of

1. Bank statements for the period
2. Award letters from DWP
3. Receipts for any items over £100
4. Evidence of caution renewal ( I don’t even know what this is, but it’s always been fine so yep … just ignore that bit)

Oh and we get to sign that B is exempt from legal charges as unfortunately she doesn’t have an estate over £16,000.

Can I change anything for next time?

No : At our last review of Guardianship our lawyer tried to argue that as B only had income from benefits she should be exempt from this process, but alas … IMHO there should be exemptions and/or less regular checks for unpaid carers in our position. We aren’t doing anything we didn’t do in childhood, but suddenly we need to be bound by these procedures.

Do I have the energy to fight this? No

Did I have to pay for this privilege? No … but you do have to pay hundreds in legal fees every time your capacity for guardianship is reviewed.

Conclusion: If you have never had this joy, I can sense your envy. If you have, I can sense your preference to stick hot needles in your eyes and self refer for an elective colonoscopy.

Oh and the biggest joy is that every 3 to 10 years, you get to go through a whole legal process to deem your capacity for this job – review of guardianship! If you’re extra lucky you even get a day in a real court with real legal people, but that soap box can wait for that particular pleasure.