On this page
- What’s involved in being a decision-making assistant?
- Who can be a decision-making assistant?
- How does the DSS monitor and supervise decision-making assistants?
- How do you become a decision-making assistant?
- How to find out if someone is a decision-making assistant?
- Making a complaint about a decision-making assistant
If a person is unable to make certain decisions on their own without support, they can choose someone they know and trust to be their decision-making assistant.
As a decision-making assistant you have the legal authority to help the person by gathering relevant information and explaining it to them. You must help the person to understand and weigh up their options. You can also help the person to let other people know about the decision that has been made.
As a decision-making assistant, you do not make a decision with or on behalf of the person. Your role is to support the person to make decisions for themselves.
If a person wants you to be their decision-making assistant, and you agree, they can make a decision-making assistance agreement. You can get information about these agreement by clicking on the link decision-making assistance agreement. The agreement is made in writing and lists the decisions you can help with. You can only help with decisions that are included in the agreement.
What’s involved in being a decision-making assistant?
As a decision-making assistant your role is to help a person with the decisions included in their decision-making assistance agreement. This means you can access relevant information and records for the person. This might involve contacting a bank, utility, or healthcare provider. You may also be required to attend meetings or appointments with the person.
You help them to understand and weigh up their options. You also support them to let other people know about the decision that has been made.
There is a Code of practice for the guidance of decision-making assistants. You can access the code by clicking on the link Code of Practice
Who can be a decision-making assistant?
You can be a decision-making assistant if you are an adult (18 years and over). The person who appoints you must know and trust.
How does the DSS monitor and supervise decision-making assistants?
Decision-making assistants do not need to send reports to the DSS.
But we can send someone to talk to you, or to the person who appointed you, and ask them to give us a report. For example, we may send a general visitor or special visitor to talk to you if we receive a complaint or want to make sure the agreement is working the way it should.
How do you become a decision-making assistant?
If a person wants you to be their decision-making assistant, they will make a decision-making assistance agreement with you.
How to find out if someone is a decision-making assistant?
When we receive a decision-making assistance agreement, we will review it and give a certified copy of the agreement to the person and their decision-making assistant. This document confirms that the decision-making assistant has the legal authority to help with certain decisions.
Anyone who deals with the decision-making assistant can ask to see the certified copy
Making a complaint about a decision-making assistant
Anyone can make a complaint to us about a decision-making assistant. Complaints must be in writing and must be for one of the following reasons:
- the decision-making assistant is helping with decisions that are not included in the agreement
- the decision-making assistant is trying to make decisions on behalf of the person
- the decision-making assistant is unable to perform their functions and responsibilities
- the decision-making assistant used fraud, coercion or undue pressure to get the person to make the agreement
Find out more about making a complaint about a decision-making assistant.