Legal (and how we work):
- Expert Social Worker Ltd trades as Social Worker Gary. We are a limited company in England and Wales, company no 12362493. Registered office Unit 29 Highcroft Industrial Estate, Enterprise Road, Waterlooville, Hampshire, PO8 0BY, with offices also at Office 7, 8-9 Rodney Road, Portsmouth, Hampshire, PO4 8ES.
- To access our Privacy Policy, please click this link
- When you instruct us, you will always be allocated the consultant, Gary Spencer-Humphrey; we never outsource work to others under our company or trading name. We have administrative support, but other than that, you work directly with Gary.
- We are not a statutory social service authority, so we charge various fees for our services. You may be able to get free advice, support or assistance from your local council under the Care Act 2014, Mental Capacity Act 2005 or the Mental Health Act 1983 (as amended 2007), and we will always ensure you know what your rights are before taking instructions from you.
- We do not charge for services you are entitled to under health and social care legislation unless you expressly wish to use us, and we make this clear in all our contact with you.
- We collaborate with various solicitors, lawyers, barristers, chartered legal executives, independent financial advisors and independent care advisors. Still, we never engage in a referral-based payment or reward scheme (i.e. we do not get any money for working with or recommending external services to you).
- We adhere to the Code of Practice [for Independent Social Workers], the Professional Standards for Social Workers and the Code of Ethics for our respective professional bodies, namely Social Work England, Social Care Wales and BASW.
- Please click here for a copy of the current Complaints Policy.
- Please note: we are exempt from registering with the Ministry of Justice's Claims Management Regulator under Part 5 of the MOJ Guidance Note (09/2013). This means we do not act as a claims management company, but we may support the work of others who are. You must agree to instruct us as such; otherwise, we cannot and will not undertake claim-based work.
- We do not act on a no-win no-fee basis but sometimes offer pro bono work (free / no charge).
- All work is subject to a binding contract under English/Welsh law, and quotes are provided for all work undertaken.
- When you instruct us, you must agree to comply with our Terms of Engagement / Terms and Conditions. Social Worker Gary always provides a copy for new customers who are first-time customers.
- Payment for our services must be made within 30 days of invoice. We reserve the right to (and do) charge interest for late payments and seek the standard interest rate via the small claims court (Money Claim Online) for unpaid invoices after 60 days. We have a special rule for solicitors working under a Legal Aid Contract: We waive the 30 days, but we usually follow up after the third month, as we understand the delays with the Legal Aid Agency payments and have sympathy for our instructing solicitor.
- Our fees are based on the subject matter of instruction and the complexity/intensity of work undertaken, which means you may be charged a different rate from another client or from the prices guide on our website. Some of our work is subject to a fixed fee agreement, which we review not more than twice a year, usually in March and September.
- Fees are claimed based on excellent quality work and fair market.
- We may request part or whole payment for non-returning customers or private instructions or payment before assessments are shared.
- We reserve all the copyrights for our assessments and works.
- We are registered with the Information Commissioner's Office and our registration number is ZB213471.
- We are regulated by BASW, Social Work England and Social Care Wales.
- As a BASW Independent Plus member, we hold £10m Professional Indemnity Insurance (PII) and £5m Public Liability Insurance, both underwritten by Hiscox Insurance. Evidence of insurance is available upon request if not under Forms.
- We do not retain data longer than is required to complete the instruction unless required by law or where cases are pending in court or where a court has ordered this.
- From July 2024, we now offer our "Aftercare promise" which is up to 1-hour of free support, advice, guidance and signposting after we have concluded our services with you for up to 1 year after we have concluded our work with you.
- Our fees are subject to change every April.