What we do
What is advocacy?
Independent advocacy involves speaking up for those who feel their voices are not being heard and ensuring that their rights are protected. Advocates represent the views, wishes and needs of their clients when important decisions need to be made about their care and help them to understand the process. Where necessary, an Independent Advocate can appropriately challenge the system without being hampered by a conflict of interest.
Who can we can help
To be eligible for our advocacy services, our clients must have been diagnosed with a mental illness OR lack capacity AND be in receipt of a secondary service.
Many of our clients are referred to us following a recent professional diagnosis of the following:
- Schizophrenia
- Bipolar affective Disorder
- Depression
- Personality Disorder
- Dementia
- Significant cognitive impairment
How we can help
Our qualified advocates help and support individuals to resolve a range of problems that they face as a direct result of their mental health or capacity issues. These include:
- Helping to plan what to say at meetings with psychiatrists and accompanying them to the meetings.
- Helping to find specialist legal advice
- Helping with appeals to the Mental Health Review Tribunal
- Ensuring their views are heard at meetings with other professionals, such as social workers.
- Providing support to ensure they have access to all appropriate services
- Helping to write letters
- Helping to make a complaint
- Helping them to discuss their situation with others and help to resolve any issues
- Helping to challenge any discrimination being faced