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<p>To obtain the legal authority to make decisions about a Child Trust Fund on behalf
of a young person who lacks the mental capacity to do so for themselves, parents and
guardians need to apply to the Court of Protection for an order of the court or register
a Lasting Power of Attorney. This is set out in the Mental Capacity Act 2005 to protect
vulnerable people.</p><p>We are working with financial institutions to raise awareness
of these processes. They have agreed to provide information on these processes shortly
after the account holder’s 16th birthday and again, when the account nears maturity.</p><p>For
parents and guardians that may need to apply to the Court of Protection, they can
ask for court fees to be waived when seeking access to a Child Trust Fund. Guidance
for applicants has been updated to reflect this.</p><p>Should court applicants encounter
any difficulties whilst completing Court of Protection application forms, they can
contact the Court of Protection to request assistance. Contact details can be found
here: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/courts-tribunals/court-of-protection" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/courts-tribunals/court-of-protection</a></p><p>We
are also setting up a working group to consider how the Court of Protection application
process can be simplified to reduce the burden placed upon the parents and guardians
of disabled children.</p>
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