About our practice
Professional Standards and Court Credentials
How the practice is regulated, supervised and held to the standard a court expects
Standards that can be checked, not just claimed
A professional standard is only worth something if the person relying on it can verify it. Everything on this page is checkable: registration numbers on a public register, a named author and a named reviewer on every report, an indemnity policy in force, and a reporting structure that follows the duties the court sets out. If you are instructing an expert and cannot verify these things, that is the point at which to ask.
Plain English
For families and professionals
England and Wales
National coverage
Registered professionals
Written and reviewed
The standards our expert evidence is written to
Where a report is prepared for court proceedings, it is written to the framework the court applies to expert evidence:
- Part 35 of the Civil Procedure Rules and its Practice Direction, including the expert's overriding duty to the court
- Practice Direction 25B and the Family Procedure Rules where the matter is before the Family Court
- The Mental Capacity Act 2005 and its Code of Practice for any question of capacity
- The statement of truth and the declaration of the expert's duty, stated on the face of the report
- A clear record of the material considered, the material not available, and the limits of the opinion given
How to check any expert before you instruct
Whether or not you instruct us, these are the questions worth asking of any independent assessor:
- Which regulator are you registered with, and what is your registration number?
- Will the person who assesses be the person who writes and signs the report?
- Who reviews the report before it is sent, and what are their qualifications?
- Is professional indemnity cover in place, and to what limit?
- How many assessments of this specific decision type have you completed?
- What is the fee, and is it fixed before instruction?
Warning signs in an expert report
- A conclusion on capacity in general rather than on the specific decision
- No identified impairment or disturbance of the mind or brain, and no causal link to the inability
- No record of what practicable steps were taken to support the person to decide
- An unwise decision treated as evidence of incapacity
- No named reviewer, or a report signed by someone who did not meet the person
- Conclusions that go beyond the material the expert actually saw
- A conclusion on capacity in general rather than on the specific decision
- No identified impairment or disturbance of the mind or brain, and no causal link to the inability
- No record of what practicable steps were taken to support the person to decide
- An unwise decision treated as evidence of incapacity
- No named reviewer, or a report signed by someone who did not meet the person
- Conclusions that go beyond the material the expert actually saw
Governance inside the practice
1. Allocation. Work is allocated by a lead practitioner against the complexity of the decision and the practitioner's experience of that decision type, not simply by who is free.
2. Supervision. Every practitioner has scheduled internal supervision with a senior practitioner, with case discussion recorded.
3. Peer review. A second qualified professional reviews every report for reasoning, evidence and compliance before it is delivered.
4. Escalation. Where a case raises a safeguarding concern, a conflict of interest, or a question outside our expertise, it is escalated to a director and the instructing party is told.
How Nellie Supports meets these standards
Practitioners are employed by the practice rather than drawn from an associate panel, which means supervision, training and review are continuous rather than contractual. The person who assesses is the person who writes and signs the report. A second qualified professional peer reviews it before delivery. Where an instruction falls outside our expertise, we say so and decline rather than stretching to fit.
Over 11,000 formal assessments and reports have been completed by the practice across England and Wales, and our reports have been relied on in the Court of Protection, the Family Court and the Court of Appeal.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are your social workers registered?
Yes. Every social worker is registered with Social Work England or Social Care Wales. Registration is verified at appointment and monitored throughout employment.
Do your reports comply with CPR Part 35?
Reports prepared for court proceedings are written to the Part 35 framework, including the statement of the expert's duty to the court and a statement of truth.
Who peer reviews the reports?
A second qualified professional who did not carry out the assessment. They review the reasoning, the evidence relied on and compliance with the relevant framework before the report is delivered.
Can I see evidence of indemnity cover?
Yes. Professional indemnity cover is in place and a copy of the certificate is available on request to instructing parties.
What happens if you cannot reach a conclusion?
We say so. Where the evidence does not support a conclusion, or where further material is needed, the report records that rather than overstating the position.
This page describes how Nellie Supports practises in England and Wales. It is general information about our practice and professional standards, not legal advice, and it does not create a professional relationship on its own.