Publicly reported stories and lived experiences showing how Power of Attorney misuse, family exclusion, and safeguarding failures affect families across Scotland. Shared responsibly and based on public information.
1.THE MCCULLOCH FAMILY STORY
(As reported publicly)
This story is based on public reporting and an official safeguarding review.
Names used here (Mr A, Mr B and Mr C) are the anonymised names used in the public documents.
The McCulloch Brothers
The McCulloch brothers — referred to publicly as Mr A, Mr B and Mr C — were vulnerable adults living and working on their family farm in the Highlands of Scotland.
At some point, Power of Attorney was granted to two individuals. Over time, members of the wider family became increasingly concerned about what was happening.
They raised worries about loss of control, financial harm, and whether the brothers were being properly protected.
Those concerns were shared with professionals and agencies.
What the Family Experienced
According to public reporting:-
• Family members repeatedly raised concerns
• They struggled to get agencies to intervene
• The situation was treated as complex and difficult
• Responsibility appeared to move between services
• Protective action did not come when it was first needed
Over time, the brothers suffered significant harm, and the family farm was lost, as documented in subsequent reporting and the Learning Review.
What Happened Next
After the harm had occurred, an Adult Protection Learning Review was carried out by the Highland Adult Protection Committee.
That review later confirmed that:-
• Opportunities to protect the brothers had been missed
• Adult Support and Protection procedures were not used when they could have been
• Information provided by attorneys was not sufficiently challenged
• Coordinated action came too late
Why Families Recognise This Story
Many families who contact us say this story feels painfully familiar:-
• Concerns raised but not acted on
• Reliance on Power of Attorney without scrutiny
• Fear of intervening in “family situations”
• Delays while responsibility passes between services
This story is shared not to sensationalise, but to show that families are not alone — and that similar experiences have already been acknowledged publicly.
Sources
This story is drawn from:-
• BBC Scotland News (public reporting, March 2025)
• Highland Adult Protection Committee Learning Review (2024)
2. JOYCE'S STORY
“My Mother Was Taken From Her Home and Cut Off From Me”
For more than a year, Joyce has been fighting to protect her mother — a woman who asked for nothing more than family contact, familiarity, and dignity in her later years.
What she walked into instead was a system that allowed Power of Attorney to overrule every safeguard, every concern, and every plea for help.
This is her story.
Removed From Her Home — Without Warning
Joyce’s mother lived in the community she knew, with neighbours who cared for her and routines that kept her grounded.
But without family consultation — and without her consent — she was suddenly removed from her own home and placed into a care home miles away, surrounded by strangers.
Joyce had no say.
Her mother had no voice.
And the system simply accepted it.
A Daughter Blocked From Visits
When Joyce asked when she could see her mother, she expected compassion.
Instead, she was told that the sibling holding Power of Attorney had banned visits.
No explanation.
No review.
No safeguarding assessment.
Just: “Your sister has PoA — she decides.”
For months, Joyce woke every day not knowing whether her mother was safe, frightened, or declining alone.
Social Work’s Response: “We Cannot Intervene — PoA Decides”
Joyce repeatedly contacted the HSCP, raising concerns about:-
• blocked access
• sudden removal from home
• her mother’s emotional wellbeing
• lack of family contact
• changes to routine
• missing belongings
Each time, she was told the same thing:-
“We cannot intervene because Power of Attorney has authority.”
No Adult Support & Protection inquiry.
No review of emotional harm.
No multi-agency meeting.
No challenge to decisions that cut off family.
No safeguarding at all.
A Promise Made — and Broken
Joyce was told that her mother would be given an independent advocate, someone who could speak on her behalf and ensure her rights were protected.
That advocate never came.
Without advocacy, her mother had no representation, no voice, and no protection against decisions made without her input.
Her Belongings Missing — and Her Home Now Being Sold
Joyce later discovered that:-
• her mother’s personal possessions were missing,
• items of emotional value were unaccounted for, and
• the family home was being put up for sale under PoA
— and again, she was not consulted.
When Joyce questioned how her mother could “consent” to a sale when she had been prevented from contact for months, no one could answer.
This is exactly the kind of situation the public believes cannot happen — but it can.
And it did.
Her Mother’s Decline — Preventable and Ignored
Photos and observations from early 2025 show Joyce’s mother as she once was:-
• talking
• smiling
• engaging
• enjoying normal life
Now, months into enforced isolation, she appears:-
• frightened
• withdrawn
• confused
• emotion
"Joyce believes the isolation is causing serious harm, and that her concerns have not been acted upon".
“This Is Not Care. This Is Cruelty.” — Joyce
Joyce has said openly:-
I believe I this is elder abuse hidden behind Power of Attorney.
My mother was taken from her home, taken from me, and taken from everyone she loves.
No parent should have to go through this. It’s wrong on every level.”
She is determined that no other family goes through what she has endured.
Her story is already helping to expose a pattern repeating across Scotland.
⭐ Support Joyce — Sign Her Petition
Joyce is fighting not just for her mother, but for every family struggling in silence.
👉 Read & Sign Joyce Ramsay’s Petition
Petition · Ensure fair treatment in power of attorney situations - United Kingdom · Change.org
Your signature gives her strength — and helps shine a light on a system that urgently needs change.
3. ‘Legally kidnapped’: How Power of Attorney can divide families ”
The Herald – 18 June 2019
Summary
(Based entirely on publicly available reporting)
In June 2019, The Herald published an article examining how the use of Power of Attorney can lead to serious family division and isolation, focusing on the experience of a Scottish family affected by PoA decisions.
The article reported on the case of an elderly woman whose son was granted Power of Attorney. Following this, other close family members raised concerns about loss of contact and exclusion from decisions about her care and wellbeing.
What the article reported
According to The Herald:-
• Family members described feeling excluded from their loved one’s life after Power of Attorney was put in place
• Decisions affecting care, contact, and daily life were made without wider family involvement
• Attempts by relatives to raise concerns were described as being unsuccessful
• The situation caused significant distress within the family
• The term “legally kidnapped” was used by family members to describe their experience of enforced separation and lack of access.
The article explored how Power of Attorney, while intended to protect individuals, can be experienced by families as a mechanism that limits oversight and restricts contact when disputes arise.
Wider issues highlighted
The Herald article also raised broader concerns about:
• lack of clear safeguards when PoA is misused
• difficulties families face in challenging decisions once PoA is granted
• the emotional impact on relatives who feel excluded or ignored
• the imbalance of power created when one individual controls access and information
Source:-
The Herald, “ ‘Legally kidnapped’: How power of attorney divides families”, 18 June 2019
(Publicly available article)
Why this story is shared
This story is included because it reflects issues that families across Scotland continue to report — particularly exclusion from contact, lack of meaningful challenge, and the emotional harm caused when Power of Attorney is relied upon without scrutiny.
4. “I’m scared my brother won’t let me see our mother before she dies”
The Sunday Times – 19 October 2024 – Marcello Mega
Summary
(Based entirely on publicly available reporting
In October 2024, The Sunday Times reported on the case of an 82-year-old woman with dementia who had been living in a care home since 2014.
According to the article, after her son obtained Power of Attorney (PoA), most of the woman’s close family — including her daughter and grandsons — were progressively prevented from seeing her.
What the article reported
The Sunday Times stated that:-
• The daughter and grandsons were initially prevented from taking the woman out
• Over time, they were banned from visiting altogether
• The care home followed instructions provided by the attorney
• In 2016, while the woman still had capacity, social workers recorded that she had expressed a wish to see her daughter, but the visit did not take place
• The attorney told the newspaper he was acting in accordance with his mother’s wishes and in her best interests
• The daughter expressed fear that she might never see her mother again before she dies
The article also highlighted wider national concerns raised by MPs and Scottish politicians regarding:-
• lack of effective oversight of Power of Attorney decisions
• exclusion of close family members
• limited routes for challenge through Health and Social Care Partnerships (HSCPs), the Mental Welfare Commission (MWC), and the Office of the Public Guardian (OPG)
Source:-
The Sunday Times, 19 October 2024 — article by Marcello Mega (publicly available)
Post-publication update
(Provided by the family and shared with permission)
Following publication of the article, the family confirmed that the daughter was able to see her mother again for the first time in almost ten years.
According to the family, current arrangements allow contact on three set days per week. Visits are supervised, time-limited to approximately 30 minutes (from check-in to check-out at the care home), and must follow a restricted schedule.
5. LESLEY E ROBERTS
Petition - Under consideration
PE2194: Amend the Adults with Incapacity (Scotland) Act to prevent abuse of power of attorney
Calling on the Scottish Parliament to urge the Scottish Government to amend the Adults with Incapacity (Scotland) Act 2000 in line with recommendations of the Scott Review, to make it fit for purpose and to protect vulnerable adults from abuse of the use of powers of attorney.
Background information
During COVID it became evident that vulnerable adults were at risk of being abused. My mother Letty was one of those adults. In trying to improve things for her, I found myself at odds with her Power of Attorney.
I approached organisations including the Office of the Public Guardian and the Mental Welfare Commission. They advised me that the Adults with Incapacity (Scotland) Act 2000 was not fit for purpose - the gaps within it did not adequately allow for thorough oversight of the Power of Attorney role. This remains the case.
In my quest for those most vulnerable adults to be protected I continue to call for a “Letty’s Law”, in remembrance of my late mother, and for the Act to be amended in line with recommendations of the Scott Review, to prevent abuse of Powers of Attorney.
(Full details from Lesley will be forthcoming)
Created by
Lesley E Roberts
Considered from
16 October 2025
Why these stories matter
This account is shared as part of a wider pattern reported by families across Scotland, where concerns raised about Power of Attorney decisions, family exclusion, and safeguarding are not addressed until significant harm or public scrutiny occurs.
🌿 Important note
This page is based on public information and lived experience.
We are not lawyers — we’re families who learned the hard way.
Nothing here is legal advice.
Everything you share stays private unless you say otherwise.