NELLIE SUPPORTS
Nellie Supports is built around a permanent full-time team. Work is delivered by professionals inside our own systems, standards and governance, rather than allocated to an associate, contractor or referral panel. This page sets out what that changes, and the evidence behind the scale statement we make.
Nellie Supports is built around a permanent full-time team. Work is delivered by professionals inside our own systems, standards and governance, rather than allocated to an associate, contractor or referral panel. This page sets out what that changes, and the evidence behind the scale statement we make.
What a permanent employed team changes about the report you receive, and the basis on which we describe ourselves as the largest identified practice of this type.
Assessments completed: 11,000+
Mental capacity and social care: England and Wales
Every report: Peer reviewed
Multidisciplinary team: Full-time employed
Specialist assessment work depends on consistency, professional accountability and clear internal oversight. Families, deputies, solicitors and professionals need to know not only who is completing an assessment, but how that assessment is supported, reviewed and governed.
Our permanent team works across mental capacity assessment, COP3 and Court of Protection evidence, and social-care assessment in England and Wales. It also provides NHS Continuing Healthcare and EHCP advocacy support in England. Work is delivered through the practice’s shared systems, supervision and review arrangements.
Work is delivered by professionals employed inside our own systems, standards and governance, rather than allocated through an ad hoc associate, contractor or referral-panel model.
The same approach to the decision, the relevant information and the evidence, whoever carries out the assessment.
Shared professional expectations across the team, applied alongside the requirements of each practitioner’s role and instruction.
Reports checked inside the practice before they leave it, against criteria we set and publish.
A second qualified professional reviews every report. The assessing practitioner remains responsible for their independent opinion and its reasoning.
A consistent report structure, so an instructing solicitor or court knows where to find the reasoning.
One organisation responsible from first contact through assessment, review and delivery.
The practice coordinates communication and service follow-up. The practitioner remains responsible for their professional work and opinion, including any limits or need for clarification.
For a decision governed by the Mental Capacity Act 2005, a report should explain the following elements and the reasoning connecting them. Other work needs the framework appropriate to its purpose: for example, making a person’s own will uses the common-law testamentary-capacity test. One template does not answer every service question.
Our statement compares a particular type of practice. The points below explain which services and staffing model we have compared, what evidence we have and the limits of that comparison.
The published wording concerns a specialist private social work and mental capacity assessment practice in England and Wales. The permanent employed team and more than 11,000 completed assessments describe Nellie Supports’ own operations. They do not, by themselves, establish the quality, suitability or outcome of any individual instruction.
The largest we have been able to identify from the evidence available. We have not audited every provider's internal records, and we do not claim to have.
Not the largest informal network, associate panel, contractor pool, directory listing or historic referral base. Not the only specialist provider, and not the right provider for every case.
Different providers use different models. Employed teams, associates, contractors and referral networks are not the same thing, and should not be compared as though they were.
If a comparable provider publishes verifiable evidence of a larger permanent team, higher assessment volume or broader directly delivered practice, we will review and update this page.
The qualified wording is ‘England and Wales' largest identified specialist private social work and mental capacity assessment practice’. It concerns that category of practice, rather than every organisation, professional network or provider offering capacity assessments. The practice has completed more than 11,000 assessments and delivers its work through a permanent employed team.
We do not make a UK-wide claim. Our coverage and our evidence are for England and Wales.
The practice’s assessment-volume figure and employed-team model are stated on this page. A comparative size statement also depends on the category and evidence used for comparison. Ask for the relevant basis and date if that comparison matters to your decision; it should not replace checking the named practitioner, proposed method and scope.
It means the largest we have been able to identify from evidence that is publicly available or held by us. It is a qualified claim, not an unqualified superlative, and the qualifier is doing real work.
Direct employment places allocation, supervision, training and report review within the practice’s own arrangements. Other delivery models can also provide supervision and quality assurance. The useful questions are who is responsible, what support and review are provided, and whether the practitioner is suitable for the instruction.
No. Assessments are carried out by practitioners employed by the practice.
Over 11,000 completed assessments across England and Wales.
Yes. COP3 assessments for deputyship applications are a substantial part of the work, alongside wider Court of Protection evidence.
No, and no provider can. How a court, public body or decision-maker treats a report is a matter for them. What we provide is a clear, structured, evidence-based professional opinion within the scope of the instruction.
Ask whether the team is employed or panel-based, how many assessments have been completed and whether that figure is published and dated, who reviews the report, whether professional standards are published, whether pricing including VAT and travel is clear, and whether the provider avoids guaranteeing court acceptance.
No. Other providers are specialist, and some will be the right choice for a particular case. The statement is about scale and delivery model, not about quality elsewhere.
Use the figures alongside the named team, relevant experience, service scope, review arrangements and agreed instruction. Staffing, service availability and published figures can change. Confirm the proposed practitioner and timing for your case rather than treating an aggregate assessment total as a guarantee of availability or outcome.
Elsewhere on the site.
Who we are, how we are regulated and how we work.
Registration, supervision, report peer review and the court rules relevant to the particular proceedings.
Where we work and how a visit is arranged.
Every fee, including VAT, in one place.
Members of the team hold professional registrations, accreditations and memberships according to their role, training and scope of practice.
These may be person-specific, organisation-specific or service-specific depending on the body concerned. They should not be read as meaning that Nellie Supports Ltd is regulated as a law firm, clinic or medical provider.
Work is arranged around the person, decision and evidence, using an appropriate setting such as home, a care home, hospital, solicitor’s office or a suitable remote appointment. Mental capacity and social-care services cover England and Wales; CHC and EHCP support concerns England. National delivery does not imply an office in every town or a particular appointment waiting time.
That matters most in Court of Protection, deputyship and COP3 work, where families and solicitors need an assessor who can travel, review records and produce a structured report for professional or court use.
Nellie Supports is a specialist private social work and mental capacity assessment practice. It is not a law firm and is not regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority. Where legal advice is required, families and professionals should seek it from a solicitor or other appropriately regulated legal professional.
If a comparable provider publishes verifiable evidence of a larger permanent team, higher completed assessment volume or broader directly delivered specialist practice, we will review and update this page.
Nellie Supports delivers specialist assessment, reporting and advocacy through a permanent, directly employed team working within one set of internal systems, standards and governance.Our scale is based on direct delivery across England and Wales, more than 11,000 completed formal assessments and a broad multidisciplinary practice—not the size of an associate network, contractor panel or professional directory.
One accountable practice from first enquiry to final report.
A directly delivered service with shared standards, internal oversight and one accountable organisation.
Our core services are delivered by professionals employed within Nellie Supports rather than routinely passed to an ad hoc associate, contractor or referral panel. The team works within shared systems for enquiries, records, assessment planning, supervision, report writing, quality assurance and follow-up.
That structure supports continuity and clear accountability, but the employment model alone does not guarantee quality. Each instruction must still be matched to a suitably qualified practitioner, the correct professional framework and an evidence-led process appropriate to the individual case.
A permanent team provides a shared professional setting for assessment planning, supervision, case discussion and report review.
Client liaison, professional triage, appointment planning, records, assessment, quality assurance, report issue and follow-up are managed through Nellie Supports' internal systems.
Families and professional referrers therefore have a clear point of contact and do not have to navigate separate referral, practitioner and review organisations.
The team includes registered social workers, psychology professionals and specialists with experience across mental capacity, social care, litigation, care funding, safeguarding and education-related work.
Each instruction is considered against the decision, complexity, location, required discipline, report purpose and any court or procedural requirements before it is allocated.
Practitioners work within shared expectations for clarifying the instruction, identifying relevant information, supporting participation, gathering records and collateral evidence, applying the applicable framework and explaining the conclusion.
A common methodology supports consistency without treating different people, decisions or cases as interchangeable.
The practice brings supervision, case discussion and relevant multidisciplinary input into its internal team arrangements. The professional giving the opinion retains responsibility for their conclusions.
This can be particularly important where evidence conflicts, capacity fluctuates, family members disagree, safeguarding issues arise or another discipline may be required.
Peer review considers whether the report answers the instruction, identifies its evidence, applies the relevant framework, explains its reasoning, states limitations and reaches a clear conclusion.
Review supports quality and clarity; it does not replace the assessing practitioner's independent professional judgment.
Assessment work can be affected by new records, delayed appointments, illness, court directions or changing family and professional circumstances.
A permanent team provides organisational continuity, allowing the practice to coordinate next steps, preserve the audit trail and respond without the whole process resting on one person's independent administration.
The practitioner remains responsible for their professional opinion, while Nellie Supports is accountable for the service systems surrounding it, including communication, information handling, supervision, quality assurance and complaints.
Registration, professional membership and accreditation are identified according to the person, organisation and service to which they actually apply.
The right setting for the work
Appointments are planned around the person's needs, the evidence required and the purpose of the assessment.
A familiar environment may support participation and allow the practitioner to understand daily living, communication, support and practical context.
Care or supported-living setting
Assessment can be arranged where the person lives, with appropriate consent, privacy and access to relevant staff or records.
Hospital or clinical setting
Where appropriate and permitted, work may be completed in a hospital or clinical environment with timing coordinated around treatment, discharge planning and the person's presentation.
Solicitor or professional location
A professional venue may be suitable where privacy, document access, accessibility and the person's comfort can be properly managed.
Remote assessment where suitable
Remote work is considered case by case. It is not used where technology, communication, safeguarding, evidential quality or the assessment purpose makes an in-person appointment necessary.
Mental capacity and social-care services cover England and Wales, using the framework relevant to the nation and decision. Nellie Supports’ CHC and EHCP services concern England. Confirm the scope, appointment format, travel and fee for the particular instruction.
All travel is charged separately at £48 per hour including VAT (£40 excluding VAT). The travel cost and any additional work are confirmed in your written quotation before booking.
The practice coordinates the appointment, records, practitioner, report review and communication around the instruction. This is particularly valuable where the person is vulnerable, several relatives or professionals are involved, or the evidence is needed by a public body, solicitor or court.
Solicitors and professional deputies
A permanent team supports structured triage, predictable communication and reports matched to the legal or professional question. The assessing practitioner retains independent judgment, and no provider can guarantee how a court or decision-maker will treat a report.
Public bodies and organisations
Public bodies, charities, care providers and other organisations may commission defined assessment, review, consultation or advocacy work within the practice’s expertise and service coverage. Mental capacity and social-care work covers England and Wales; CHC and EHCP support concerns England. Statutory responsibility and decision-making authority must remain clear.
National coverage means arranging the right assessment around the person and the purpose of the instruction—not claiming a physical office in every town.
Work may take place at the person's home, a care home, supported-living setting, hospital, solicitor's office or another suitable professional location. Remote work is used only where it is appropriate to the decision, evidence, person's needs and professional purpose.
Before accepting an instruction, we consider location, urgency, communication and accessibility needs, the records required, the correct legal or professional framework and whether another discipline is needed. Scope, fees, VAT, travel and timescales are then confirmed in writing.
It means Nellie Supports' core services are delivered by professionals employed within the practice and working through its shared systems, supervision, methodology and quality assurance rather than routinely being passed to an ad hoc referral panel.
Nellie Supports has completed more than 11,000 assessments. This is an aggregate practice figure and should be read separately from information about individual practitioner experience, the scope of a proposed instruction or the outcome of any case.
Largest identified is a qualified comparison within the category of specialist private social work and mental capacity assessment practices in England and Wales. It does not imply a complete market audit, access to every provider’s private records, UK-wide leadership or a comparison of every associate network and professional directory.
Mental capacity law, the Court of Protection and COP3 practice described on this site relate to England and Wales. Scotland and Northern Ireland have different legal systems, so broader UK wording would be less precise.
No. It means Nellie Supports arranges specialist work throughout England and Wales using in-person or remote appointments where professionally appropriate. We do not imply a local office or permanent physical presence in every town or city.
No. Experience, team structure and quality assurance support the process, but every opinion must follow the evidence in the individual case. No provider can guarantee a court, local authority, NHS body, tribunal or other decision-maker will accept a particular conclusion.
The registered professionals, specialists and client-support colleagues behind our directly delivered services.
How evidence, reasoning, supervision and peer review support the work produced by the practice.
How appointments, travel, remote work and local context are managed across our service areas.
Decision-specific assessment services for personal welfare, property, finance, legal and Court of Protection matters.
Assessment and COP3 reporting for Court of Protection deputyship applications across England and Wales.
Every service line, with scope, process and next steps.
Independent assessment, evidence and support outside direct local-authority employment.
Published fees, VAT, travel and urgent-work information in one place.
Identify the person, location, question, relevant records and deadline. Confirm the service’s national scope, the proposed practitioner, appointment format, written output and total fee. An enquiry response, an assessment appointment and report delivery are separate stages with separate timing.
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