Neil Courtney

Based in: Wiltshire and London

Covers the areas of: England and Wales

Practice and expertise: Adult social care reports for EHCP appeals and Tribunals, care needs assessments for adults, deprivation of liberty, mental capacity, best interests decisions and immigration.

Neil has worked in the care sector for approximately 30 years, starting his career within a residential unit for looked after children, then in roles as a community support worker and also within a day centre for people with learning disabilities. This has given him invaluable insight into provider-led services and the challenges they face. Neil qualified as a social worker in 2011 after over 9 years of working as a care manager within a local authority; working in a number of community and hospital-based teams (including teams integrated with health colleagues) with older people, adults who live with physical disabilities, learning disabilities and cognitive impairment and mental health conditions.

Neil leads the adult services here at Simply Social Work, he has been an Independent Social Worker since 2014 but will engage in statutory roles on occasion to ensure that he keeps ‘up to speed’ with local authority processes. His specialisms are Deprivation of Liberty (including S.21a appeals), best interests assessments, mental capacity assessments, immigration and visa reports, care and support needs assessments, financial vulnerability assessments.

When he is not working, Neil is a keen gardener, enjoys spending time with his family, he enjoys long walks with his dogs, writes supernatural thrillers and hopes to finally restore his classic car ready for summer.