It has jurisdiction over the property, financial affairs and personal welfare of people who lack mental capacity to make decisions for themselves.

[6] The offices and full-time Judges of the Court of Protection were originally located at Archway Tower, Junction Road, London.

[8][9] The Court of Protection has the power to appoint Deputies, who can make decisions on behalf of the person who is deemed to lack capacity.

[4]: Sections 5 and 6 Among its various roles the Court of Protection is responsible for determining disputes as to the registration of enduring powers of attorney, and Lasting Powers of Attorney, appointing new trustees, appointing deputies to manage the affairs of persons who do not have the mental capacity to make the relevant decisions, authorising certain gifts and making statutory wills.

[12] In 2015, the Court of Protection ruled that a woman with six children and an IQ of 70 should be sterilised because another pregnancy would have been a "significantly life-threatening event" for her and the foetus due to her having a very thin uterus.