What are the Portfolio Assignments?

See the specialist areas you can choose from

For each specialist area there are two elements to the assignments:

1. A case study with four questions
2. Two reflective case accounts

If you are taking either of the advocacy portfolio assignments, you will be required to record your submissions.

Please note: The Core Competence Unit has been updated to encompass the implementation of the Divorce, Dissolution and Separation Act on 6 April 2022. Please ensure you are referring to the updated document and disregard previous versions. 

Case Studies

You will be provided with a case study and four questions (which may be further subdivided) for each specialist area. You must answer all the questions. In your answers you should:

1. Provide your assessment of the situation and your answers in relation to the case study and questions.
2. Refer to applicable law, statute, regulation and procedure, as appropriate.
3. Show awareness of the range of family dispute resolution processes and consider their appropriateness in each case.
4. Have considered the emotional context and appropriate management of the emotional context.
5. Show how you would adhere to, consider or apply Resolution’s Code of Practice throughout, and how you follow the guidance in the Resolution Guides to Good Practice.

Reflective Case Accounts

You must provide two reflective case accounts for each specialist area. The cases should be from your own practice and undertaken within the last 12 months. They should also be complex enough for you to be able to demonstrate required competencies. You will be provided with a template for completing your case account.

Your reflective case accounts should show:

1. Your assessment of the situation, including any emotional context and the likely impact on the people involved.
2. Your planned advice giving, the solutions you identified, and whether it achieved the expected outcome.
3. How you considered applicable law, statute, regulation and procedure.
4. How you took account of Resolution’s Code of Practice and the relevant Guides to Good Practice throughout your management of the case.
5. Your reflection on your own practice development and what you learned from the case.

See further guidance and an example of a reflective case account.

You are also required to include a client advice letter (or, for financial advisers a jointly advised report) with your reflective case accounts. This should:

1. Include examples of specific advice provided to a client about their situation, therefore a standard terms letter is not sufficient.
2. Be from one of your own cases, either one you’ve provided a case account for or another relevant case.
3. Demonstrate your adherence to the Code of Practice and standards of good practice generally.
4. Be anonymised to respect client confidentiality and redacted so you and your firm cannot be identified in any way. Please note that you must ensure that you have appropriately anonymised any client material to the standard required by the General Data protection Regulation (GDPR)

There is no word limit on the client advice letter or jointly advised report.

An advice letter or report submitted with any identifying details will result in an automatic fail.

The Portfolio Assignments are open book assignments so you can research and use references. You should credit all references in footnotes.

Your assignment must be completed by you without assistance from anyone else.

Word limits for the case studies and reflective case account will be provided. If you exceed the specified word limits by more than 10% you will fail the assignment.

The Accreditation Committee reserves the right to fail any candidate who does not comply with these requirements, and to consider whether a candidate should be referred under data protection regulations or the arrangements set out in Resolution’s Cheating, Collusion and Plagiarism policy.