What is Advocacy?

Advocacy is:

Acting or speaking on behalf of someone and representing their views – when due to age, illness or disability they find it difficult to speak for themselves.

Advocacy is not:

Befriending, counselling, physical caring or advising.

The three types of advocacy offered by Independent Advocacy are:

Professional advocacy (formal, professional and paid advocacy), adults affected by frailty, disability, ill health or financial issues may sometimes need the services of an advocate who can support or represent their interests. In these circumstances, an advocate specialising in a specific area can ensure their client's interests and choices are heard and listened to, respected and acted upon.

Citizen advocacy which is a long-term partnership between a client and a volunteer advocate. This can arise once a crisis has been resolved by an advocate, but further regular contact is needed to prevent a further crisis.

Group advocacy where a volunteer visits a residential home regularly to meet clients as a group and discusses and acts upon any issues or concerns they may have.

Other types of advocacy which may be available elsewhere include:

Self-advocacy which encourages people to speak up for themselves and is often organised or driven by service users who offer mutual support and confidence-building to challenge stereotypes and discrimination.

Peer advocacy where people with experience of particular services, such as mental health services, draw on their own experiences to understand and empathise with another person in a similar situation.

Legal advocacy where people such as lawyers and advice workers represent others in formal settings such as courts, tribunals or complaints processes. They will often give advice and express an opinion about the best course of action, and provide social messages to health professionals about clients, and vice versa.

Bilingual advocacy which is not only about translation but also relays cultural, religious and social messages about clients to health professionals and vice versa. It covers all advocacy where different languages are used, including British Sign Language.

Statutory advocacy where an Independent Mental Capacity Advocate (IMCA) is appointed to support someone who lacks capacity and has nobody to speak for them. The IMCA makes representations about the person’s wishes, feelings, beliefs and values, as well as providing the decision-maker with all the information they need.