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Help someone make decisions if they appoint you or if they lack mental capacity - includes using a power of attorney, becoming a deputy and getting a one-off Court of Protection ruling

• When you can make decisions for someone

  Someone can choose you to make and carry out certain decisions on their…

• How to make decisions

  As someone’s attorney or deputy you must: give them all the help they need…

• Checking mental capacity

  A person may not have mental capacity because of a problem with the way…

Apply to the Court of Protection for a one-off decision if you're concerned about someone's personal welfare, property or financial affairs.

• Overview

  Apply to the Court of Protection if both of the following apply: you’re…

• How to apply

  Download and fill in: an application form (COP1) - send the original and 2…

• Tell other people you've applied

  The Court of Protection will send you a copy of your application forms -…

• What happens next

  You’ll hear from the Court of Protection after you’ve ‘served notice’…

Make a victim personal statement to the Parole Board - who can make one, how to write it, and what happens at a parole hearing

• Who can make a victim personal statement and when

  The Parole Board decides if prisoners who are eligible for parole can be…

• How a victim personal statement is used

  The Parole Board panel makes a decision based on whether a prisoner is a…

• Write your victim personal statement

  Your victim personal statement is your opportunity to explain how a crime…

• Choose how your victim personal statement is presented at the hearing

  You’ll usually have a choice of how your victim personal statement is…

• What happens at a parole hearing

  You’ll be asked to read out your victim personal statement (unless someone…

How to make a lasting power of attorney (LPA): starting an application online, choosing an attorney, certifying a copy, changing an LPA.

How to apply for bankruptcy. What to do if you’ve been made bankrupt: if you’re at risk of violence, how long it lasts, bankruptcy restrictions, what happens to your home and possessions when you're bankrupt.

The range of prison sentences a court can give - including suspended, fixed-term, indeterminate and life sentences.

How the Mental Capacity Act 2005 affects you if ever you lose mental capacity.

• Updated: 23 May 2025

How to work out splitting up money, property and possessions when you divorce or dissolve a civil partnership - including mediation.

An overview of voting in the UK, including voting in person, postal and proxy voting, and voting if you're abroad.

How you can have a marriage annulled, the reasons you can give for annulling a marriage and the forms you will need to apply for an annulment. This includes information from the withdrawn D191 guide.