Yes. Solace is a registered charity specifically for revert women, and was founded due to the lack of support for this audience.

As a registered charity based in the United Kingdom, we are regulated by the Charities Commissions of England and Wales. We provide emotional and Islamic support to revert women worldwide; however, legal or housing referrals and financial aid are limited to beneficiaries in our country of operations (UK).

In the absence of an LPA, if you were to lose capacity, then there is a different process to follow by which someone can apply to the Court of Protection to be made a Deputy or have a professional deputy such as a solicitor appointed. The application is a Deputyship Order and the process can be both lengthy and costly, with the initial application costs along with annual fees being paid to the Court of Protection whilst the deputy is acting. The main problem can come when someone suddenly becomes incapacitated, with an LPA once registered it can be used instantly as opposed to the need to appoint a Deputy which can take considerable time. In a situation such as this there is often urgent need for financial support whether that be to pay for treatment or simply to continue to fund living costs but unfortunately without an Attorney being appointed the banks will simply not release funds until a Deputy is appointed.

There is no limit on the number of Attorneys you can have. The number of Attorneys you would be advised to have would depend on your individual circumstances. For some people, having one Attorney may be sufficient, but for others it may be the case that three or four Attorneys may be more suitable. It is rare for people to need more than four Attorneys and the most usual number is two.

Generally, Attorneys are not permitted to make gifts without the approval of the Court of Protection. This is the case even if the Attorneys wish to benefit the Donor by making the gift (e.g. reducing the Donor’s estate for inheritance tax purposes). There is limited authority for Attorneys to make gifts to charities and gifts to family members of a seasonal nature or made on the occasion of a birth or marriage or on the anniversary of a birth or marriage. 

Attorneys can only sell your house if you own the property in your sole name. If you own the property jointly then they would have to liaise with the other owners. If the Attorney is also the co-owner (e.g. a husband appointing his wife as his attorney) then the Attorney alone could not sell the house and a trustee would need to be appointed. 

Replacement Attorneys may be beneficial to you as they offer the chance of succession if your original Attorneys die before you or become unable to perform their duties. Certainly, if only one original Attorney is to be appointed, having a replacement would be advisable. It is not mandatory for you to have a replacement Attorney should you not wish to do so.

Attorneys’ powers cease on their bankruptcy, incapacity and obviously their death. Their powers also cease on the death of the Donor. Attorneys do not have authority to administer the estate of a Donor who has died.

You can register your Lasting Power of Attorney as soon as it is properly executed. There can be a significant time delay between sending off the documents to be registered and receiving the registered Lasting Power of Attorney. Accordingly, it is better to register the Lasting Power of Attorney before it is needed so as to avoid any inconvenience later – for example if a Donor suffers a stroke and loses capacity ‘overnight’, it may be necessary for the Attorneys to act immediately to manage the Donor’s finances, but if the power has not been registered they will be forced to wait before they can do anything.

A typical or average timescale is that you should expect to be waiting for a period of up to twelve weeks. 

A certificate provider is a person who certifies that you have the sufficient mental capacity to make the Lasting Power of Attorney and that you are not being unduly influenced by a third party to make it. It can be a professional who has the relevant expertise to make the assessment (i.e. a Doctor or Solicitor) or someone who has known you for more than two years. If anyone were to challenge your Lasting Power of Attorney on the basis that they thought you did not have the mental capacity to make one or that you were making it under duress, your certificate provider would have to show why they thought differently.