Legal Aid Agency, 'Contract management: mental health guidance' (v3, 1/9/18)
Contract management guidance This document contains guidance under the following headings: (1) Overview; (2) Means Assessment; (3) Starting New MHT Matters; (4) Evidence of Means; (5) Level 1 and Level 2 Mental Health Proceedings Fees; (6) “Rolling Up” Matters; (7) Applications by a Nearest Relative; (8) The Court of Protection; (9) Work in Prisons; (10) Designated Accredited Representatives. Superseded by Legal Aid Agency, 'Contract management: mental health guidance' (v4, 20/3/23).
Previous versions
- "Principles of fixed fees", March 2009; "Principles of Mental Health Fees", November 2008 (old version). The changes between the February 2009 and March 2009 version of the Principles document is a new paragraph on page 7 ("If a provider references a social circumstances report as proof of means it is important that both the nature of the benefit (i.e is it passported?), the entitlement, the amount and the computation period must be considered and this is cross referenced to the CW1") and an addition to a sentence on page 9 ("Whether there are any other parties suitable and willing to provide assistance on behalf of the patient (such as an Advocate) should the need for specialist legal advice not be necessary").
- LAA, 'Contract management: Mental Health Guidance' (v2.0, 14/4/14) . According to Lawtel this document was published on 6/5/14.
- Legal Aid Agency, 'Contract Management: Mental Health Guidance' (v2, 3/4/17) (this version renames 2014's "version 2.1" as "version 1")
- The press release (4/4/17) for this updated guidance states: "Updated guidance has been published which helps providers with questions about mental health work under the 2014 Standard Civil Contract. Development of this update follows constructive discussions with the Mental Health Lawyers Association and the Law Society. The updated document clarifies a small number of provisions in the 2014 Standard Civil Contract. For example, the requirements for triggering a Level 2 (Mental Health Proceedings) Fee. The questions covered in the document are the most common ones raised by providers since the introduction of a standard fee scheme for this work in 2008."