Everyone who is deprived of their liberty under the Mental Capacity Act must have a representative. This could be a family member or a friend but if there is no one suitable it could be a Paid Representative also known as a RPPR.

POhWER’s RPPRs are qualified advocates who have specialist knowledge of the Mental Capacity Act and Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards legislation.

Find out more information about the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards

What is the role of an RPPR?

The Paid Representative's role is to:

• Visit the person deprived of their liberty regularly
• Help the person to understand their Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS) authorisation and how it affects them
• As far as possible, assist the person to exercise their rights if they want to
• Ensure any conditions attached to the authorisation are met, referring any concerns to the Supervisory Body if required
• If necessary ask for a review of the authorisation, challenge the authorisation locally or if this is not successful refer the case to the Court of Protection. The Court looks at cases about people who lack capacity to make decisions.

Our RPPRs are independent from the care home or hospital and the Local Authority/ Supervisory Body. The service is free of charge.

Where do we provide this service?

You can find out if we provide this service in your area by clicking on the link below. If we don’t provide a service where you live, please call our Help Hub on 0300 456 2370 for information, advice and signposting to other organisations in your area who may be able to help you.

POhWER support in your area

How do I get support from an advocate?

Referrals are made through the local council. Please contact us if you need more information.

Leaflets

Relevant Person's Paid Representative Services leaflet (pdf)

Relevant Person's Paid Representative Service leaflet in easy read (pdf)

See also our Independent Mental Capacity Advocacy (IMCA) page and Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS) / Liberty Protection Safeguards page