Family Law

Providers unable to see clients in their office can now follow a new funding process in the Client and Cost Management System (CCMS).

A new option is available to providers using the CCMS for funding applications if there is good reason their client is unable to come to their office for a meeting.

Providers can now use the interim declaration process, which allows providers to gather the information required to complete an application and then submit it online when they return to the office.

The process could be used, for example, where the applicant/client or their partner is housebound through disability, imprisonment or hospitalisation and cannot attend upon the provider in person.

The new process allows:

• providers to complete the application offline;
• the declaration to be signed at the point instructions are taken;
• information to be transferred exactly into the CCMS, and the existing declaration can then be used;
• providers to submit the application without delay; and
• signed declarations on instruction to replace the signature usually obtained on the CCMS application summary screen.

Further information is available in the CCMS Quick Guides.

Client protection

Completed CCMS application summaries must be sent by providers to clients as soon as reasonably practicable. Clients have 14 days from the date of the letter to challenge any of the application details.

Once the deadline has passed, the applicant/client and any partner will be deemed to have confirmed the truth of the application. This will be in accordance with the signed declaration against the instructions.

This ensures the client retains the same protection as before.

Promissory declaration

This differs from the Interim declaration and should only be used where the client is unable to sign the declaration prior to submission of an emergency delegated functions application.