Advocacy Awareness Week 2024
What is advocacy?
Advocacy means getting support from another person to help you express your views and wishes, and help you stand up for your rights. Someone who helps you in this way is called your advocate.
Further information in easy read format is available here.
What does an advocate do?
An advocate can help you:
- understand the care and support process
- talk about how you feel about your care
- make decisions
- challenge decisions about your care and support if you do not agree with them
- stand up for your rights
They can write letters for you and attend meetings with you.
Advocates will support you during:
- assessments
- care and support planning
- safeguarding and reviews
Advocates are independent of social services and the NHS.
Types of advocacy
There are different forms of advocacy which you can read more about here. These include:
- Instructed advocacy: the individual tells the advocate what they would like them to say and do.
- Non-instructed advocacy: When someone doesn’t have the capacity to tell the advocate what they want them to do, the advocate uses other approaches to make sure the individual’s life choices aren’t compromised.
- Statutory advocacy: a person is legally entitled to an advocate because of their circumstances. This might be because they’re being treated under the Mental Health Act or because they lack the mental capacity to make their own decisions.
- Non-statutory advocacy: these services provide advocacy where vulnerable people fall outside the eligibility criteria for statutory provision.
- Self-advocacy: a person is able to assess a situation themselves, make choices about what they want and take steps to make it happen.
- Paid Relevant Person’s Representative (PRPR): protects someone’s interests when they lack the mental capacity to make some decisions for themselves and they have been deprived of their liberty to prevent them from coming to harm. The local authority appoints a PRPR when no friends or family are available to support the individual.
How your local council can help
Your local council has to provide an advocate if you do not have family or friends to help and you have difficulty:
- understanding and remembering information
- communicating your views
- understanding the pros and cons of different options
A paid carer cannot act as an advocate for you.
How can I get an advocate?
Contact social care services at Westminster Council and ask about advocacy services.
POhWER is a charity that helps people to be involved in decisions being made about their care. Call POhWER's support centre on 0300 456 2370 for advice.
The Advocacy People gives advocacy support. Call 0330 440 9000 for advice or text PEOPLE to 80800 and someone will get back to you.
The Advocacy Project offer non-statutory advocacy in the Biborough and you can access their referral form here. They can support people in aspects such as accessing mental health or social care.
Contact your local Age UK to see if they have advocates in your area. Visit Age UK online or call 0800 055 6112.
