Money Matters: a guide about financial matters, for family carers of adults with learning disabilities and/or autism.
Download the Money Matters Guide here
Who is this guide for and who is it written by?
This guide is for family carers of an adult with a learning disability and/ or autism who may need to support their relative with their finances.
It was written by the Family Carer Support Service, which is made up of family carers and people who consider themselves allies to family carers and their relatives. It has been reviewed by a range of professionals and family carers, who are referenced in the acknowledgements.
What is this guide about?
Supporting another person with their finances is far from straightforward. It requires a good understanding of the Mental Capacity Act, and the options available if your relative is found to lack capacity to manage some or all of their finances. Whether you, as the family carer, manage their finances as a Lasting Power of Attorney or Deputy, or their benefits as their Appointee, there is a lot of responsibility and administrative work involved. You become the main point of contact for everything finance related. Dealing with finances is particularly difficult when coming to terms with the death of a relative, especially when they didn’t have a Will, as is the case for many people with learning disabilities. The aim of this guide is to provide practical information and key considerations relating to these matters.
Why did we write this guide?
The bulk of what we do at the FCSS is to support individual family carers on a 1:1 basis for as long as they need it. There has been a notable increase in the amount of people contacting us who are concerned about their relative’s finances and how to manage them. We also have calls from families looking for advice on how to go about settling the finances of a deceased relative who did not have a Will in place at the time of their passing.
Money Matter contents
- Chapter 1: Disability benefits
- Chapter 2: Appointeeship
- Chapter 3: Lasting Power of Attorney
- Chapter 4: Deputyship
- Chapter 5: Banking
- Chapter 6: How can we best prepare financially for my relative’s death?
- Chapter 7: How can I remember my relative in my Will?
Request a copy by post
This guide is available in print. If you would like a printed copy, please phone 0808 801 0448 or email familycarersupport@hft.org.uk
