What is advocacy?
Advocacy is free, independent and confidential support that helps people understand information, express their views, and be involved in decisions about their health, care, safety and wellbeing.
Advocacy is about making sure your voice is heard and your rights are respected. It can help you understand your options, communicate what is important to you, and participate as fully as possible in decisions that affect your life.
Advocacy is independent, which means advocates work separately from health, social care and other services.
What is an advocate?
An advocate is a trained professional who supports you to:
- Understand information and decisions.
- Know your rights.
- Express your views, wishes and feelings.
- Ask questions and raise concerns.
- Participate in meetings and discussions.
- Challenge decisions when appropriate.
An advocate will not tell you what to do or make decisions on your behalf. Their role is to help ensure your views and wishes are heard and considered.
Where appropriate, an advocate may represent your views to professionals or organisations if you are unable to do this yourself.
When can an advocate help?
Advocacy may be helpful when:
- You are involved with health or social care services.
- You are finding it difficult to understand information.
- You feel overwhelmed or lack confidence in speaking up.
- Important decisions are being made about your care, support or accommodation.
- You need support to understand medical treatment options.
- You want to raise a concern, complaint or challenge a decision.
- You feel unsafe or believe you are being treated unfairly.
- You are involved in a safeguarding process.
Advocacy can help ensure that your views, wishes, feelings, beliefs and desired outcomes are heard and understood.
Advocacy and safeguarding
Everyone has the right to live free from abuse and neglect.
If you are involved in an adult safeguarding enquiry and have difficulty understanding, retaining, using or weighing information, or communicating your views, you may be entitled to support from an independent advocate.
Advocacy can help you:
- Understand what is happening.
- Participate in safeguarding discussions and meetings.
- Express what outcomes are important to you.
- Ensure your wishes and feelings are considered throughout the safeguarding process.
This supports the principles of Making Safeguarding Personal, which places the adult's views, wishes and desired outcomes at the centre of safeguarding work.
Different types of advocacy
There are different forms of advocacy available depending on your circumstances.
Community advocacy
Community advocacy services help people understand their rights, access support, and have their voices heard. These services may support people experiencing a range of issues affecting their health, wellbeing or independence.
Care Act Advocacy
Under the Care Act 2014, some adults have a legal right to an independent advocate.
The local authority must arrange an advocate for certain adults who:
- Have substantial difficulty being involved in care, support or safeguarding processes; and
- Do not have an appropriate person available to support and represent them.
This may apply during:
- Care and support assessments.
- Carer's assessments.
- Care and support planning.
- Reviews of care and support plans.
- Adult safeguarding enquiries and safeguarding adult reviews where required.
Independent Mental Capacity Advocacy (IMCA)
An Independent Mental Capacity Advocate (IMCA) is a safeguard provided under the Mental Capacity Act 2005.
An IMCA may be appointed when a person lacks capacity to make certain important decisions and there is no appropriate family member or friend to consult.
This can include decisions about:
- Serious medical treatment.
- Long-term accommodation arrangements.
- Adult safeguarding processes in certain circumstances.
Independent Mental Health Advocacy (IMHA)
An Independent Mental Health Advocate (IMHA) supports people who are entitled to advocacy under the Mental Health Act.
An IMHA can help individuals understand their rights and participate in decisions about their care and treatment.
How do I know if I am eligible?
Eligibility depends on the type of advocacy required and your individual circumstances.
A social worker, health professional, care provider or advocacy organisation can help determine whether advocacy is appropriate and whether you have a legal entitlement to a particular advocacy service.
How can I access advocacy?
If you think advocacy may help you, speak to the professional supporting you or contact Adult Social Care.
Adult Social Care
Telephone: 01925 443322
They can provide advice about advocacy services and make referrals where appropriate.
Warrington Speak Up Advocacy Hub
Warrington Speak Up provides information about advocacy services available locally and can help you identify the most appropriate support.
If they are unable to provide the advocacy service you need, they can help direct you to the correct organisation.
For more information visit the Warrington Speak Up website.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does advocacy cost money?
Independent advocacy services provided under legislation are free of charge.
Can I ask for an advocate?
Yes. If you think you need support to understand information, express your views or participate in important decisions, you can ask about advocacy.
Can a family member support me instead?
Sometimes a family member or friend can help you communicate your views and wishes. However, in some circumstances the law requires an independent advocate who is separate from your family, care providers and professionals.
Will an advocate make decisions for me?
No. An advocate's role is to help you understand information and express your views. They do not make decisions on your behalf.