Advice & casework service

How can the advice and casework team help?

INQUEST provides free, confidential advice and assistance on the inquest system in England and Wales. We are happy to talk with you over the telephone, by email or letter, or you can use the form below to contact the advice and  casework team.

Sorry, due to anti-spam measures, this contact form requires that javascript be enabled on your browser.

General advice service

Our advice service provides telephone and email advice and information to any bereaved person facing an inquest in England and Wales.  We can advise on any aspect of the inquest process and your rights in the coroners’ courts, and will also refer families to other organisations for help.

We are not able to represent anyone at an inquest but we will do what we can to explore options for legal representation, and advising on the funding sources available.

Specialist casework service

Our specialist casework service offers in-depth advice and support to any person bereaved through a death in state detention or involving state agents.  This includes a death in prison, in police custody or following police contact, and in psychiatric or immigration detention.  We also work on other complex cases that engage article 2Article 2 of the European Convention on Human Rights says that the state must not take someone’s life, except in very limited circumstances. The effect of article 2 is that the state has a duty to protect life and to carry out an effective investigation into a death involving the state or state agents. An inquest is normally the way which this is carried outArticle 2Article 2 of the European Convention on Human Rights says that the state must not take someone’s life, except in very limited circumstances. The effect of article 2 is that the state has a duty to protect life and to carry out an effective investigation into a death involving the state or state agents. An inquest is normally the way which this is carried out of the European Convention on Human Rights says that the state must not take someone’s life, except in very limited circumstances. The effect of article 2Article 2 of the European Convention on Human Rights says that the state must not take someone’s life, except in very limited circumstances. The effect of article 2 is that the state has a duty to protect life and to carry out an effective investigation into a death involving the state or state agents. An inquest is normally the way which this is carried out is that the state has a duty to protect life and to carry out an effective investigation into a death involving the state or state agents. An inquest is normally the way which this is carried out of the European Convention on Human RightsThe ECHRThe European Convention on Human Rights is an international treaty to protect human rights and fundamental freedoms in Europe, incorporated into UK law as the Human Rights Act 1998. All Council of Europe member states including the UK have signed the Convention. is an international treaty to protect human rights and fundamental freedoms in Europe, incorporated into UK law as the Human Rights ActThe Human Rights Act 1998 is an Act of Parliament that incorporated the European Convention on Human Rights into UK law. 1998. All Council of Europe member states including the UK have signed the Convention. and/or raise wider issues of state and corporate accountability.

INQUEST offers a range of free advice and support services throughout the course of the inquest process.  Families vary greatly with the kind of support and help they may want to receive.  The list below is an example of the type of help that we can provide:

•    Free advice and support concerning any aspect of the inquest process, regardless of whether or not you have a legal representative.
•    Helping to find suitable expert and experienced legal representation.
•    Exploring funding options for meeting legal costs.
•    Attendance at key meetings, for example, with lawyers and investigatory bodies.
•    Working alongside legal representatives throughout the investigation and inquest.
•    Providing information about setting up family campaigns.
•    Explaining legal jargon and procedural issues.
•    Providing details of bereavement counselling and other sources of support.
•    Help and advice to address practical difficulties arising from the process; for example, work-related problems.
•    Support and advice about dealing with the media.
•    Making contacts between families who have gone through similar experiences.
•    Arranging attendance at other inquest hearings to gain experience of the process .
•    Members of the casework team will try to attend stages of an inquest hearings to support family members.
•    Advising on other processes such as the various complaints systems; accessing documents; or making Freedom of Information Act requests.
•    Help with contacting a local MP.

Family Forums

Family Forum events are held regularly to try to provide further support to the families INQUEST works with through our specialist casework service.  Families can come together to share information and experiences. Some families also like to use these events to have input into INQUEST’s campaigning and policy work.  These meetings have provided an important opportunity for families to meet others going through what can often be a difficult and stressful process.

The most recent Family Forum was held in May 2012 – and you can read the report from the Family Forum meeting in March 2011 in this document (PDF, 47Kb).

The Inquest Handbook

You can read the Inquest Handbook online.