Third Party Glossary

A person appointed by the Department for Work and Pensions to act on behalf of an individual receiving state benefits but unable to manage their benefit-related affairs due to mental incapacity or severe physical disability.

A person or group of people appointed to look after the finances or property of another person. An attorney may be acting under one of the following types of powers of attorney: ordinary, lasting, or enduring.

A photocopy which bears a certificate signed by the maker of the power, a solicitor, or a stockbroker (or notary) at the end (of each page) that it is a true and complete copy of the original and must be accepted as proof of the contents of the original.

A formal document which may be used to cancel a lasting power of attorney or an unregistered enduring power of attorney, depending on circumstances. You can find more information on the DirectGov website.

A person or group of people appointed by the Court of Protection to manage the affairs of a person who has lost capacity to make decisions for themselves.

An individual who wishes to give another person the authority to act or make decisions on their behalf.

There may be multiple third parties representing an individual irrespective of the type of third party access they have been granted (i.e. third party mandate or power of attorney). They may be appointed to act "jointly" or "jointly and severally". Appointing multiple representatives to act "jointly" means that they must all make decisions together, while appointing them to act "jointly or severally" means that they can make decisions together or alone. In everyday English you may hear the term "jointly and individually" used instead of "jointly and severally".

Prior to 1 October 2007 a person appointed by the Court of Protection to act on behalf of an individual who had lost capacity was called a 'receiver'. After this date, the term became 'deputy' (see above). A receiver who was appointed by the Court of Protection prior to 1 October 2007 can continue to act under the powers outlined in the original court order, although they will be known officially as deputies not receivers.

For the purposes of these webpages, a third party is an individual acting on behalf of someone else under a formal instruction such as a third party mandate, power of attorney, Court of Protection order or Department for Work and Pensions appointment.