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Office of the
Public Guardian

Office of the Public Guardian
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We’re here to protect the most vulnerable people in England and Wales, and to help them make important financial, health and life decisions

Where: Birmingham and Nottingham

What do we do?

We help protect people in England and Wales who may not have the mental capacity to make certain decisions for themselves, such as about their health and finance. By joining our team, you’ll be part of making life safer for those most at risk in society.

Why is feeling included at work important to OPG staff?

Who are we looking for?

The work we do is sensitive and requires empathy, strong people skills and attention to detail – qualities we value across all our roles.

Our People Promise
We have a strong set of values at OPG. Our People Promise is about building on our culture and values to support you to be your best self at work. It’s there to support us all to do our jobs, with the right actions and tools informed by evidence, to create a positive environment for us all. Watch our video to discover more about our people promise to you.

 

My story

Amina,
Investigator

Find out more
My story

Supriya,
Internal Guidance Development Manager

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My story

Georgina,
Complaints Team Manager

Find out more
Latest jobs

Roles associated with OPG

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Case Study

Amina, Investigator

Being an investigator means I generally get to be a detective and figure out what mischief people may be up to.

I contact various bodies – such as care homes, banks, local authorities, GPs and other medical professionals – and any other people involved in the venerable adult’s life.

Based on the information I receive I then decide on the best course of action. This can be anything from no further action required, to the attorney needing to make certain actions like making an application to court. On rare occasional I have to refer cases to the police and some cases require an investigator to attend court hearings.

I love knowing I’ve been instrumental in protecting someone who isn’t able to protect themselves. Every once in a while someone I’ve helped will send a message to say thank you. That makes it all worthwhile, knowing you’ve had a positive impact and that your effort is appreciated.

As a child I always wanted to be a doctor, but I was good at debate and my teachers were always pushing me to study law. When I finished school I went to work in a doctor’s surgery, and at the end of my 6 months there I shifted my interest. I realised that although patients need someone to care for them, they weren’t as vulnerable as a lawyer’s client. A patient can express what their problem is but most people who need lawyers require an advocate to stand up for them.

Case study

Supriya, Internal Guidance Development Manager

I am proud that my work helps to support and safeguard vulnerable people.

In 2008 I moved to the UK with my husband. It was a big change for me. I joined OPG as an Administrative Officer (AO) on a fixed term contract in 2009. Around that time, I was training as a Magistrate. Some training sessions were all day and OPG granted me paid special leave for the Magistrate duty.

OPG is a great, inclusive place to work. Senior management is very supportive if you want to progress in your career. When I joined OPG my daughter was 5 years old and my husband worked in London all week. OPG’s flex policy was really helpful for me to achieve work-life balance.

I have worked in operations, performance and internal guidance at OPG. The Internal Guidance team develop and maintain technical guidance for operations staff. My job is to gather insight on current guidance, understand the pain points of the users and use the insight to develop and build technical guidance. The team now has plans to create a single repository of technical guidance for all areas of Operations at OPG. I am involved in this work and am enjoying the challenge.

Case study

Georgina, Complaints Team Manager

I joined OPG in February 2020, having graduated from Law school in 2019. I work in the Tier 1 Complaints Team as a Team Leader. Our team manages complaints addressed to the Public Guardian.

I previously worked in the Casework Team as a Caseworker and had the opportunity to take on a temporary responsibility allowance as a Team Leader.

OPG is such a great place to work. I’m proud to work for here because I genuinely feel like my work makes a positive difference and that I’m truly supporting vulnerable people. I love all the opportunities that are available to me and have so many supportive colleagues. I’ve worked on lots of different projects and cross departmentally which means I’ve been able to meet people across the wider business.

I set myself a goal when I first joined OPG, which was to obtain a promotion in a years’ time, and I was successful! I always ask for opportunities to develop and have been mentored by many wonderful people. I’ve been able to enrol in so many great development programmes including REACH; a 6-month development programme for staff with a disability and the Catapult scheme which is part of MoJ’s social mobility development programme. I have learnt so much from all my mentors.

As they say the expert in anything was once a beginner, so I’m always keen to learn, take on extra responsibility and receive advice. I study outside of work, as I’m taking the next step with my qualifications. I can’t think of a time when I’ve said ‘no’ to taking part. My next step in OPG is with the Investigations Team and I’m really looking forward to this. I’ll continue to be ambitious and proactive; I want to learn more about all our departments and then go for my next promotion.