Advocacy and Advocates
The Care Act says the council must involve people when decisions are made about their care and support. Advocacy is there to represent you.
Independent advocates
An advocate is a person who supports you and helps explain and say what you want to say. They help ensure your views are heard, so that your problems can be sorted out.
They can:
- Help put your views and feelings across about decisions that are being made about your life.
- Speak on your behalf if that is what you want.
- Give information and advice about your rights and any worries you have as well as help you make choices about what is best for you.
- Help make a complaint.
In order to be able to support you express your wishes and feelings or represent your views, advocates will need to spend time with you to build up an understanding.
Advocacy supports those at greatest need who have difficulty in understanding information, retaining information, using and weighing that information and in expressing their wishes and feelings. Advocacy is provided free of charge providing a person meets the below statutory eligibility criteria. This could apply to any adult and older person, any carer, young people in transition from Children's Services to Adult Services and young carers.
Advocacy can provide independent help and support with:
- Wellbeing assessments and reviews.
- Carer’s assessments.
- Keeping safe from harm (safeguarding).
For more detailed information please view our factsheet 'Help Managing Your Affairs and Decision Making Factsheet'. (PDF, 106KB, 3 pages)
How to get an independent advocate
A social care worker will identify if you meet the qualifying criteria under the Care Act, Mental Health Act or the Mental Capacity Act you can have access to help from an independent advocate.
The following conditions must be considered appointing an independent advocate:
- The person would have substantial difficulty in being fully involved in key processes if an advocate was not provided.
- There was no appropriate individual available to support and represent the person’s wishes who is not paid professionally, engaged in providing care and treatment to the person or their carer.
Where required, independent advocacy will be arranged through a person’s social care worker and a personal budget can be used to pay for independent advocacy.
Alternatively you can find an advocate by contacting Southern Advocacy Services on the details below.
Address: Southern Advocacy Services, Quay House, The Quay, Newport, Isle of Wight, PO30 2QR
Telephone: 01983 559299
Email: info@southernadvocacyservices.co.uk
Web: www.southernadvocacyservices.co.uk
Current consultation
The Isle of Wight Council have a
statutory obligation to ensure that people are involved in any decisions made
about them and their care and support.
We want to help people to understand information and consider their
options so that they are able to express their wishes and make their own
decisions.
In order to deliver this support,
we commission an independent advocacy support service. Advocacy is available for individuals who
have substantial difficulty engaging with the care and support process and who
do not have another suitable person to help them.
The Isle of Wight Council is
currently reviewing the independent advocacy service it provides in order to
improve and develop this valuable support for local residents. We want to gather
feedback from Island residents to support this review. We value people’s
experience, knowledge and comments as this will help us to shape the service
for the future.
We would like to hear the views of
Island residents to shape the design of the community support offer. A short questionnaire has been developed for
users to have their say. The survey can be viewed at: https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/AdvocacyServices2019
Hard copies are available from
council libraries; County Hall reception, Newport; People Matter IW, Bernard
Way; The Riverside Centre, Newport and Carers IW office, which is also based at
The Riverside.
Hard copies of the survey must be
returned to the following FREEPOST address by 5pm on Monday 18 November 2019:
FREEPOST RTGE-TBEC-BYAY
Adult social Care
County Hall
High Street
Newport
Isle of Wight
PO30 1UD
Online survey link: https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/AdvocacyServices2019
Survey open date: Monday 7 October 2019
Survey closing date: midday Friday 15 November 2019