About Nellie Supports
About our practice
Nellie Supports is a specialist private social work practice working across England and Wales. This section sets out who we are, how we are regulated, who actually carries out the work, and the evidence behind the claims we make.
An employed multidisciplinary private social work practice, regulated, peer reviewed and independent of the outcome.
At a glance
Founded
2019, head office in Grantham
Team
Employed multidisciplinary practitioners, social work led
Registration
Social Work England and Social Care Wales
Quality
Peer review by a second qualified professional on every report
Coverage
England and Wales
In plain English
Who we are
Nellie Supports is England and Wales' largest identified specialist private social work and mental capacity assessment practice, with over 11,000 formal assessments and reports completed. We assess mental capacity, prepare evidence for the Court of Protection and other courts, support families and professionals through NHS Continuing Healthcare, plan and review care, and represent families in EHCP and SEND matters.
Nellie Supports is England and Wales' largest identified specialist private social work and mental capacity assessment practice, with over 11,000 formal assessments and reports completed. We assess mental capacity, prepare evidence for the Court of Protection and other courts, support families and professionals through NHS Continuing Healthcare, plan and review care, and represent families in EHCP and SEND matters.
Every practitioner is employed by the practice rather than drawn from an associate or referral panel. Social workers are registered with Social Work England or Social Care Wales, supervision is internal, and every report is reviewed by a second qualified professional before it is delivered.
How we practise
2 pages
Independent does not mean unregulated, and private does not mean a lighter standard. These two pages set out what private social work actually is in England and Wales, who governs it, and the framework our reports are written to when they are going in front of a court. If you are instructing an expert and want to know what to check before you do, the professional standards page is written for exactly that.
Private social work
What private social work actually is in England and Wales, who regulates it, when instructing independently is the right call, and how an employed practice differs from an associate panel booked job by job.
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Professional standards
Registration, internal supervision, peer review by a second qualified professional, and the CPR Part 35 framework our expert evidence is written to. It also sets out what to ask any expert before you instruct them.
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Our scale and evidence
2 pages
Claims are easy to make and harder to stand behind. These two pages are where ours are tested: what an employed team model changes about the report you receive, what over 11,000 completed assessments buys in practice, and what families, solicitors and deputies say about the work in their own words rather than ours.
Permanent team and national scale
Why the practice employs its practitioners instead of outsourcing, what over 11,000 completed assessments buys in consistency, and the basis on which we describe ourselves as the largest identified specialist practice of this type.
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Reviews and trust signals
What families, solicitors, deputies and case managers say about the work in their own words, alongside the verifiable signals behind the claims made elsewhere on this site.
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Trusted by thousands, guided by experience
We work across the whole of England and Wales, and the team brings together well over a hundred years of combined professional experience across social work, mental capacity, safeguarding, care planning and specialist assessment. Over 11,000 formal assessments and reports have been completed by the practice.
Registration and membership
Trusted and accredited professionals
Our practitioners are registered with the regulators that govern social work in England and Wales, and the practice holds memberships and accreditations in the specialist areas we work in. Each one is verified at appointment and monitored throughout employment.
Professional registrations, accreditations and memberships may be person-specific, organisation-specific or service-specific depending on the body concerned.
The name
Why are we called Nellie?
Family is at the heart of every elephant's life, and like people, elephants care, comfort, empathise, work together and even hug. We thought it was a good way to sum up our compassionate, collaborative approach, and our mission to protect and support individuals along with the families and communities they are part of.
Where we are
Our offices
Our national coverage does not depend on claiming an office in every town or city. We work across England and Wales through a national assessment and advocacy model, from a head office in Grantham with administrative offices elsewhere.
Head office, Grantham
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Coventry
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Wales
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London
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Southampton
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Newcastle upon Tyne
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Enquiry
Tell us who the person is, what has happened and any dates involved. Our client liaison team identifies the right service.
Scope confirmed in writing
The service, the fee and the timescale are confirmed in writing before any work starts.
The work
A registered practitioner carries out the assessment, attends the meeting or prepares the report.
Peer review
A second qualified professional reviews every report for reasoning, evidence and compliance before it leaves the practice.
Delivery and follow-up
The report or evidence is delivered securely, with clarification for instructing parties if it is needed.
How we work
How we work
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Common questions
Frequently asked questions
Are your social workers registered?
Yes. Every social worker is registered with Social Work England or Social Care Wales. Registration is checked on appointment and monitored throughout employment.
Are your practitioners employed or self-employed associates?
Employed. Practitioners are permanent members of the practice, supervised internally, and are not drawn from an associate or referral panel.
Is Nellie Supports independent?
Yes. We are instructed to give an independent opinion and we have no stake in the outcome. We reach the conclusion the evidence supports, whoever is paying.
Are your reports peer reviewed?
Yes. A second qualified professional reviews every report for reasoning, evidence and compliance before it is delivered.
Do you work across the whole of England and Wales?
Yes. We work nationally across England and Wales, in person or remotely depending on the service.
Is Little Nellies a separate organisation?
Little Nellies is the SEND and EHCP division of the practice. It has its own brand and its own pages, and the same registration, supervision and peer review apply.
Protected parties and litigation friends explained
Protected parties and litigation friends explained, including when litigation capacity is in issue and who conducts proceedings.
What is capacity to grant a lasting power of attorney?
What capacity to grant a lasting power of attorney means, including donor understanding, attorney choice, authority and future consequences.
Evidence needed for a retrospective capacity opinion
Evidence needed for a retrospective capacity opinion, including records, witness accounts, chronology, medical history and decision context.
Best testamentary assessment for a family member with suspected undue influence?
Best testamentary capacity assessment for suspected undue influence, including evidence, privacy, family risk and when enhanced assessment may be needed.
LPA capacity assessments for solicitors and families
LPA capacity assessments for solicitors and families, including donor understanding, fluctuating capacity, evidence and challenge prevention.
Supporting guidance
Guides and explainers
Our services
Every service line, with fees and process.
Prices
Every fee, plus VAT, in one place.
Where we work
Offices and coverage across England and Wales.
Training and events
Nellie on the Sofa webinars and the Nellie Con conference for legal, health and social care professionals.
Also from Nellie Supports
Talk to us
Want to talk to someone about your case?
Tell us who the person is, what has happened and any dates involved, and our client liaison team will confirm the right service and the fee in writing.
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