The Guardianship (Missing Persons) Act 2017
Posted on 31 Jul 2019
The Guardianship (Missing Persons) Act 2017 comes into effect today 31st July 2019. Also known as Claudia’s Law, it provides for the appointment of a person to take charge of a missing person’s finances while they are missing, to ensure that their affairs are dealt with appropriately.
Until today, no -one had the power to do this, and this situation resulted in many lives being affected by the impact of a missing person. Claudia’s Law was enacted after Claudia’s father, Peter Lawrence, backed by the Charity Missing People, campaigned for this law to fill the gap which left a missing person’s affairs in abeyance for years. Claudia went missing in 2009, and despite police investigations, has never been found.
If a person is missing for over 90 days, the Court can now appoint a Guardian to protect their property and affairs and act in the missing person’s best interests. As Court of Protection Panel Deputies, and Court of Protection specialists, Solicitors at Swayne Johnson are used to acting in this role and can help families at this difficult time in their lives. Sarah Noton, Panel Deputy and Solicitor commented “Claudia’s Law is going to be incredibly useful to families who are already in considerable distress in these situations. It will enable the practical aspects of a disappearance to be managed with the authority of the Court, something which has not been available before now.”
To find out more about this act visit https://publicguardian.blog.gov.uk/2019/07/31/for-those-left-behind-the-story-of-a-missing-person/
Contact Sarah Noton 01745 582535
or
Lynette Viney-Passig 01745 812835 at Swayne Johnson Solicitors
Further News - Swayne Johnson Summer Shows 2019 »