What Is Advocacy?

What is Advocacy? 1. PURPOSE OF ADVOCACY 2. KEY PRINCIPLES 3. CODE OF PRACTICE FOR ADVOCATES? 4. FINDING AN ADVOCACY SERVICE 5. ADVOCACY MODELS 6. OTHER FORMS OF SUPPORT 1. PURPOSE OF ADVOCACY Advocacy is speaking up for, or acting on behalf of, yourself or another person. The other person is often receiving a service from a statutory or voluntary organisation and is referred to throughout this handbook as the service user. Advocacy can help service users to: make clear their own views and wishes; express and present their views effectively and faithfully; obtaining independent advice and accurate information; negotiate and resolve of conflict. Some people aren’t clear about of their rights as citizens, or have difficulty in fully understanding these rights. Others may find it hard to speak up for themselves. Advocacy can enable people to take more responsibility and control for the decisions which affect their lives.

2. KEY PRINCIPLES 1. What the person says and wants is the most important thing. 2. Advocacy enables individuals to do more for themselves and lessens their dependency on other people. 3. Advocacy should help people to make informed choices. An advocate must ensure the service user is making real choices based on good quality information. 4. Advocates should not have a conflict of interest. So that they can speak up for someone effectively, there must be no other pressures on the advocate. This is why the advocate needs to be independent of the service provider. 5. People must have choice about the type of advocacy they use. Service users should be able to choose the type of advocacy that suits them best (see Chapter 4 on Advocacy Models). Some service users feel that they need one person who is willing to act on their behalf whereas others will prefer the support of a group.

Others will want to advocate for themselves, as far as is possible, with only the minimum of support. The choice of advocacy model will vary according to the person's needs.

3. CODE OF PRACTICE FOR ADVOCATES WHY HAVE A CODE OF PRACTICE FOR ADVOCATES? 1. It sets out an agreed standard of service. 2. It tells people who want to use an advocate what they should be able to expect. 3. It tells other people, (carers, family and staff) who provide services to the person what an advocate can be expected to do or not do. 4. It can help advocacy groups to explain what they are trying to do and can be used as a training tool. It can also be used to train staff from statutory, voluntary or business organisations. 5. It helps advocates to understand their role and responsibilities. CODE OF PRACTICE FOR ADVOCATES 1. An independent advocate will not be a member of staff of the organisation providing the service to the service user. 2. The role of the advocate is to represent the views and wishes of the service user accurately and effectively. 3. Before agreeing to act as an advocate, an advocate will always check that the role of advocacy is fully understood and this is what the service user really wants. This may involve setting out expectations from both sides 4. An advocacy relationship will last for as long as both parties agree. 5. An advocate will agree in advance with the service user how contact will be made, how often and in what form it will take. 6. An advocate has a right to raise any issue on behalf of the service user. 7. An advocate does not need to agree with the service user, only to respect their view and express it accurately. 8. An advocate will not take on someone else's responsibilities but they may encourage someone to do their job more effectively. 9. An advocate will always respect the service user's right to privacy and confidentiality. 10. If an advocate is unsure about what to do because of a conflict of interest,

they should contact their advocacy group or manager for support and advice. The service user's interests should not suffer because of pressure placed upon an advocate. 11. Advocates will demonstrate respect for equal opportunities in all that they do. 12. The advocate's first loyalty is always to the service user they work with. 13. Advocates must demonstrate that they are there to encourage and help the service user manage their own affairs wherever possible. 14. An advocate must be prepared to undertake appropriate training and accept guidance. Advocacy Organisations should have available copies of their Code of Practice for the public.

4. FINDING AN ADVOCACY SERVICE Cambridgeshire County Council commission advocacy services for people who meet its eligibility criteria from the following organisations : •

Cambridgeshire Independent Advocacy Service – for people with mental health issues

•

Speaking Up – for people with disabilities

•

IMCA – Speaking up – for people who lack capacity to make decisions for themselves

Their web pages provide further details Clearly advocacy groups must decide how they are going to run their own affairs; however the following is a useful checklist for evaluating a group's service. You could choose to approach any advocacy organisation. They may make a charge. 1. How independent are they from the organisations to whom the advocates may be making representation? 2. Does the Advocacy service have a code of practice, and does it show what everyone's duties and responsibilities are? 3. Are Advocates provided with training, support and guidance?

5. ADVOCACY MODELS SELF ADVOCACY This is where an individual, or group of people, speaks or acts on their own behalf in pursuit of their own needs and interests - speaking up for yourself. Speaking up may be difficult because of a disability or illness or

simply because people don't take service users seriously or think they are incapable of making decisions. CITIZEN ADVOCACY This is where someone else speaks up on behalf of the service user or helps them to speak up for themselves. It is based on the idea of a 'valued citizen' (i.e. someone who does not have a problem getting heard), working with a person who is discriminated against. The relationship may develop into friendship or just working together to develop the service user's skills or confidence to manage their own situation. Citizen Advocates usually come from a recognised and coordinated scheme. CRISIS ADVOCACY This is where an advocate is found to help with a one-off difficult situation or crisis. The advocate may be someone who is already a Citizen's Advocate. PEER ADVOCACY This is where service users who have experienced similar problems of not being listened to, may help others to speak up for themselves. A peer advocate is likely to have a very good understanding of what other service users are going through. PROFESSIONAL ADVOCACY This can mean experts in a professional field, such as lawyers, being commissioned to speak up on behalf of an individual service user or group. They may or may not receive payment for acting as an advocate. COLLECTIVE ADVOCACY This is where a group of people, sometimes from very different backgrounds, campaign on behalf of themselves or others to try and change things. This could be a national organisation or a local one focusing on either national or local issues.

6. OTHER FORMS OF SUPPORT BEFRIENDING This is when someone spends time with someone else who has not had the opportunity to make friends. BEFRIENDING and ADVOCACY may overlap. In some circumstances it is essential that a sound relationship is built up beforehand between the advocate and service user. However it must be remembered that the advocate should always maintain an objective position and base their actions on the Advocate's Code of Practice which stresses that the service user's view is paramount. The most important aim of ADVOCACY is to help someone to speak out and participate fully in decisions made about their lives, not to provide an antidote to loneliness. Befriending plays a valuable role but it is important to recognise that it is

different to independent advocacy, so that neither the service user nor the befriender is placed in a situation that is beyond their capabilities or experience. PROFESSIONAL SUPPORT Sometimes what professional staff do as part of their job looks a lot like advocacy. This is sometimes called "professional advocacy" but in fact it is simply good practice to listen to what the service user has to say and help them to take responsibility for their own situation and make informed choices. This approach should be part of every staff member's role and staff should not feel discouraged from using their advocacy skills to the benefit of the service user. Staff can pursue service users' interests by accessing their organisation's complaints procedure or through their own line management channels. A social worker, for example, can advocate without compromising their own position in relation to a health or housing issue, but they risk a conflict of interest when they attempt to act as an advocate within their own organisation. It may put both the staff member and the service user in a difficult position. INTERPRETING Although some service users whose first language is not English may have need of an interpreting service, this is not advocacy. However a service user may bring an advocate who speaks their language or an interpreter who will provide for full communication with both the service user and their advocate.

INFORMATION SERVICES Age Concern Advocacy Service Suite L12 South Fens Business Centre Fenton Way Chatteris PE16 6TT Tel 01354 696541 Fax 01354 694985 Email : [email protected] Dial DrugLink Whitwell Chambers Ferrars Road HUNTINGDON Cambs PE18 6DH Tel: (01480) 413800 (Helpline) Fax: (01480) 411914

Huntingdonshire Mental Health Association Park House Nursery Road HUNTINGDON Cambs PE18 6RJ Tel: (01480) 415371 Fax: (01480) 415363 Lifecraft The Bath House Gwydir Street CAMBRIDGE CB1 2LW Tel: (01223) 566957 Fax: (01223) 505932 Email them : [email protected] Peterborough & Fenland MIND 439 Lincoln Road PETERBOROUGH Cambs PE1 2PE Tel: (01733) 340602 Fax: (01733) 567192 Fenland office: (01354) 652445 Disability Cambridgeshire Orwell House Cowley Road CAMBRIDGE CB4 0WY Tel: (01223) 569600 (info) Textphone: (01223) 569601 Fax: (01223) 506470 Email them: [email protected] Website: http://www.disabilitycambridgeshire.org.uk/ Cambridgeshire Deaf Association 8 Romsey Terrace CAMBRIDGE CB1 3NH Tel: (01223) 246237 Fax: (01223) 411701 Minicom: (01223) 411801 E-Mail them: [email protected]

Camsight 167 Green End Road CAMBRIDGE CB4 1RW Tel: (01223) 420033 Fax: (01223) 426672 E-Mail them : [email protected] Hunts Society for the Blind 8 St Mary's Street HUNTINGDON Cambs PE18 6PE Tel: (01480) 453438 Fax: (01480) 453556