Court of Protection Forms UK: COP1, COP3 & More

What this document is

The Court of Protection is a specialist court in England and Wales that makes decisions about the property, finances, health, and welfare of adults who cannot make those decisions for themselves. Its powers come from the Mental Capacity Act 2005, which sets out how capacity is assessed and the principles that must guide any decision made on someone else's behalf.

The court also authorises deprivation of liberty where an adult is, in practical terms, not free to leave a care home or hospital because of the arrangements made for their care. COP forms are the paperwork you use to engage with this court.

Some forms start an application, such as asking to be appointed as a deputy so you can manage a relative's finances on an ongoing basis. Others provide supporting information, such as a capacity assessment completed by a doctor or other qualified professional.

A few deal with urgent situations, for example where decisions about a person's liberty need to be made quickly. Each form has a specific role, and using the right combination matters because the court will not progress an application that is incomplete.

How to use this document

1. Work out what you are actually asking the court to do. Before touching any forms, be clear on whether you need ongoing authority to make decisions (a deputyship), a one-off decision on a specific issue, or something urgent relating to care arrangements. The type of application drives which COP forms you will need, so getting this right at the start saves considerable time later. 2. Gather the core application pack. For most deputyship applications this means Form COP1 as the main application, together with the relevant annex (COP1A for property and finances, COP1B for personal welfare, COP1C for a narrower financial matter, or COP1D for trustee appointments). You will usually also need COP1E to provide supporting information about the person concerned and the decisions that need to be made. 3. Arrange a capacity assessment using Form COP3. This form is completed by a suitable professional, often a GP, psychiatrist, social worker, or specialist nurse, who confirms whether the person can make the decisions in question. Without a properly completed COP3, the court has no independent evidence that the Mental Capacity Act threshold has been met, and your application is unlikely to proceed. 4. Complete your deputy's declaration on Form COP4. If you are asking to be appointed as deputy, COP4 is where you set out information about yourself, confirm you understand the responsibilities involved, and declare that you are suitable for the role. The court takes this declaration seriously because deputies hold significant power over another person's life, so fill it out carefully and truthfully. 5. Notify the right people and file the application. The rules require you to notify the person the application is about, and often close family members, that an application has been made. Forms such as COP5 are used by those who want to take part in the proceedings. Once the paperwork is complete, the application is sent to the court with any required fee (check gov.uk for the current amount).