What is independent advocacy?

OK, so if you've randomly found my blog you may be a little confused. Some simple words of introduction are needed:

• independent advocacy works to ensure people's voices can be heard;
• it works through special sorts of relationships, called partnerships.

Usually advocates work with people who:

• have particular difficulties with communication;
• and are having problems accessing services.

Usually these people are labelled as (for example):

• having learning difficulties
• suffering mental health problems
• being disabled
• being a child in the 'looked after system' (in care)

Through a variety of circumstances a person fitting one of these descriptions might be referred to an independent advocacy project. They will then be paired up with an advocate.

The advocate will spend some time getting to know their new partner and finding out what they think the problems are – and what they want to do about it.

The advocate's job is to help these views to be developed and expressed – hopefully directly. The goal is self-advocacy: people speaking up for themselves. Advocates do not give advice and they don't try to influence people to do what might be in their 'best interests' (there are plenty of other professionals who do this.

OK, so that's the brief introduction. For another version targeted more at people who might need an advocate see the equivalent page on the Advocacy Action website. For the next stage, I will write a new post soon about 'what's great about advocacy' that will be the next step, and a little more thoughtful - so keep watching this space...