New Deputyship client with no NINO

This is a bit of an unusual one. The client has been referred from social care for the council to become corporate appointee, which is dealt with by the Deputyship team. So she lacks capacity.

From the capacity assessment it appears she was born in Dublin, has never worked or claimed benefits in the UK and her financial and other affairs were dealt with by family who have no further useful information.

The Deps have submitted a BF56 form applying to become appointee which is usually straightforward. However DWP have come back saying they cannot trace the client or a NINO and therefore won’t process the BF56.

Neatly trapping the client with no appointee and no capacity to make a claim on her own behalf. I can’t believe this is correct from DWP but since they ditched the appointees guide I’m finding it difficult to know where to go with this.

I will try our partnership manager but she is on leave till next week and although there will be someone covering they may not be able to be as much help.

Any ideas?

Could you try making a claim for benefit on behalf of the client as that can also be treated as an application for a NINO and as part of that claim, make the appointee request also and then they can deal with the whole lot in one big home visit?

Paul_Treloar_AgeUK - 24 August 2023 08:37 AM

Could you try making a claim for benefit on behalf of the client as that can also be treated as an application for a NINO and as part of that claim, make the appointee request also and then they can deal with the whole lot in one big home visit?

Thanks Paul. Yes it looks like that might be the easiest way. It’s what the partnership manager has suggested. There isn’t usually any need for visits with it being a corporate appointee but we really need the claims (for RP and PC) to be up and running.