Power of Attorney Day is a national campaign to raise awareness about power of attorney in the UK. It’s an annual event with the first UK wide Power of Attorney Day having taken place on Wednesday 22 April 2026.
Join our mission to raise Power of Attorney awareness. We’re looking for businesses and individuals to help highlight why early legal planning is essential for protecting your family’s future should the unexpected happen.
Why does it matter
You never know what’s around the corner. We tend to assume that close relatives will automatically be allowed to make decisions on our behalf if something happens to us, but this isn’t true. Without power of attorney, it is not certain who can take decisions on our behalf. With power of attorney in place, we can be confident we you have taken the necessary steps to make everything as clear-cut as possible.
How you can support the campaign
- Sign up to receive the latest information and updates at: powerofattorneyday.org.uk
- Promote and amplify the campaign internally and externally by following the tips below.
- Consider who within your organisation needs to know about the campaign, and might be best placed to share information with the people who most need to know about it. This could be your Carers Network, the Vulnerable Customer Team, your HR team, your Communications Team or others.
- Think about mapping the touchpoints within your organisation where you can raise the subject of power of attorney. This might be when staff join a carers network, or when customers are making big life decisions (around mortgages, wills or pensions for instance).
- Take the opportunity to review and promote the support available from your own organisation. Check that information is clear and up-to-date – you can refer to our campaign website for guidance.
- Think about hosting an information session for your staff and / or other stakeholders. You can use the information and slide deck available on the campaign website, and / or you could consider inviting an expert (ie a solicitor) to contribute.
How to promote Power of Attorney Day
There are many different ways that you as an organisation can help promote Power of Attorney Day, and we have created a set of resources and assets to help you.
Further ideas and guidance on how to promote the campaign using the assets available:
Social media posts
We’ve created a suite of eye-catching social media graphics and a toolkit to help you promote the day and the importance of power of attorney. These are designed to highlight common assumptions or misconceptions and point towards the Power of Attorney Day website for clear further information.
Get your social media toolkit here
Posters and leaflets
We’ve also created items for you to print out and use including:
- General promotional poster
- Empty belly poster (for you to populate with your own information and plans around Power of Attorney Day)
- Frequently Asked Questions leaflet.
Internal communications channels
You can talk about the campaign in the run up to and on the day itself using the social media graphics and messaging available. You could point to the campaign website and / or the information you offer around power of attorney.
Email bulletins / newsletters
We’d also love you to talk about the campaign in the run up to and on the day itself in your email newsletters and bulletins. Again you can use the social media graphics available to get people’s attention and point towards the campaign website and / or your own information.
We’d love to hear about what you’ve got planned for the day and wider campaign! Don’t forget to sign up via the website and email us with any questions or updates to [email protected]
How are organisations and businesses supporting the day, and why?
Carers UK
As well as setting up and running the first ever UK-wide Power of Attorney Day, Carers UK has been looking at what we can do to better raise awareness and understanding of powers of attorney through our information, advice, networks and colleagues.
We have engaged with carers to analyse their experiences of managing someone else's affairs and the challenges they’ve faced when the right documentation is not in place. We've held online briefing sessions with carers to help them understand more about powers of attorney and answer any questions they have. Our members have all received information and advice, with storytellers like Dorothy and Norman sharing their experiences, including in our own Caring magazine.
We have held briefing sessions with experts to help our colleagues, a majority of whom are currently caring or have experience of caring, better understand about powers of attorney and answer any questions they have, tailored to each nation.
We have reviewed and enhanced our information and advice to carers that we provide online as well as developing our Power of Attorney Day website materials.
All of our networks have been activated with information about getting involved in Power of Attorney Day, including our volunteers, Employers for Carers (our 250 strong employer network covering around 3 million employees), our Affiliate network and the many other networks that we engage with. We've spoken at others' events as well as delivering our own.
In England and Wales, we've worked closely the Office of the Public Guardian, the Office of the Public Guardian in Scotland and the Office of Protection and Care in Northern Ireland. On the day, we're pleased to be holding an event with the Office of the Public Guardian and will be activating all of our communications channels with information and advice.
"It's been such a fantastic campaign to have created UK wide. We've been delighted to have partnered with Standard Life on such a fundamental issue. There's a real need for this work which is making a practical and tangible difference for so many people, especially unpaid carers. An added bonus is that key areas such as financial services, utilities, the NHS and social care, which often rely on people having a power of attorney in place, will also benefit as the campaign progresses and awareness increases.
"We'll be holding the second Power of Attorney Day in 2027, so if you didn't sign up, do so now and help us build the campaign ahead and reach even more people. And if you haven't got your power of attorney yet, think about putting one in place yourself."
Helen Walker – Chief Executive, Carers UK
Standard Life
For more than two centuries, we’ve been standing beside our customers, helping them plan and prepare for their financial future. Our vision is to be the UK’s leading retirement saving and income business. We are helping our customers achieve better outcomes and greater financial security in later life by providing the right products and solutions at the right time.
Standard Life plc has an established focus on caring through our Caring for Carers initiative, with financial wellbeing as a key priority. We deliver this by working with leading charities, including Carers UK, to support our colleagues, customers and communities.
Unpaid carers are often closest to the realities of illness, incapacity and complex decision making. Partnering with Carers UK on Power of Attorney Day allows us to elevate lived experience, challenge persistent misconceptions, and ensure this campaign speaks directly to those most affected as well as those who may not yet realise how relevant it is to them.
On Power of Attorney Day, we’ll be supporting the day both internally and externally. Internally, we’ll be running colleague activity to raise awareness and build confidence in taking the first steps. This includes a myth busting video, pop up events in our offices where colleagues can find out more, and webinars with our employee benefits provider to help people start the journey. In addition, we are also providing training to customer-facing colleagues to enhance their knowledge and understanding of powers of attorney, enabling them to offer better support to our customers.
Externally, we’ll be amplifying the campaign with Power of Attorney Day messages across our social media platforms. We sponsored Postcards from Midlife to produce a special Power of Attorney episode for public release.
This is just the beginning. Our ambition is to see stronger public understanding of powers of attorney, earlier conversations, and greater confidence in planning for the future and retirement.
By continuing to work with Carers UK and other partners, we want to keep momentum going beyond Power of Attorney Day, supporting long term change that helps people feel more prepared for life’s twists and turns, whatever they may bring.
“Our research shows that too many people are unprepared for life events that could leave them vulnerable.
"Power of attorney isn’t just a legal formality - it’s a vital safeguard setting out who can manage your finances in the event of something happening to you. Without it, loved ones may face lengthy legal processes to gain authority, often at a time of crisis, which can delay access to essential funds and support.
“Power of Attorney Day will help to educate the public and dispel myths so that people can better understand why and how to put a POA in place before they need to use one.”
Claire Hawkins – Director of Corporate Affairs and Brand at Standard Life, and executive sponsor of the company’s carers network
Nationwide
Nationwide is the world's largest building society, with over 16 million members. Following its acquisition of Virgin Money UK PLC, Nationwide is connected with one in three people in the UK and is the second largest provider of mortgages and retail deposits. It is also a major provider of current accounts, credit cards, personal loans and business banking. Customers can choose to manage their finances in a branch, via mobile app, the internet, telephone, and post. Nationwide has around 25,000 employees and its head office is in Swindon, UK.
As a financial services provider owned by its members, not shareholders, Nationwide's purpose is: Banking - but fairer, more rewarding, and for the good of society. For more information click here.
"At Nationwide, we see firsthand how challenging it can be when someone begins to struggle with managing their finances and a power of attorney isn’t in place. Many people assume a spouse or close family member can step in automatically, but without legal authority they often can’t - leading to stress and delays at an already difficult time.
"Putting a power of attorney in place early provides peace of mind and ensures support can start as soon as it’s needed, allowing families to focus on care rather than complex processes or paperwork. It’s also why Nationwide is proud to support the Carers UK campaign to raise awareness of power of attorney."
Kathryn Townsend, Head of Customer Vulnerability,
Nationwide Building Society