Advocacy in more detail
What is Advocacy?
And, most of us face times in our lives when having someone else there to help us speak up would be really good.
ADVOCACY helps people speak up - on their own or with help. Advocacy makes sure our interests are heard directly or are represented.
There is often confusion about the use of the word 'advocate', because in Scotland, for example, an advocate is a lawyer and in the United States an advocate is someone who would be described as a lobbyist in England.
When is Advocacy useful?
Disagreement or conflict can make it hard for anyone to speak up and be heard.
Types of advocates and advocacy
and different types of advocacy:
Citizen advocacy
Citizen advocates build and maintain partnerships with inividuals facing discrimination.
All advocates try to enable their partners to express their views and opinions to others such as carers or people in authority.
Peer advocacy
Where one person who has experienced discrimination or disadvantage helps another person facing similar circumstances, this is peer advocacy.
Disabled people and people who have used mental health services have become leaders in developing peer advocacy in many countries.
Paid advocacy
Specially-trained staff may be paid to provide advocacy in emergencies or where individuals need short-term support to deal with specific questions or issues. This is often crisis, task or issue-based or even representational advocacy.
Self advocacy
Self-advocacy is often the same as group advocacy because people who have, or have had, similar experiences come together to help themselves.
They organise and run the groups to help them speak up for themselves.
Many such groups have been formed by people using day centres or those who live in residential care.
Some groups are helped by support workers. These workers may be paid staff or volunteers but they should be independent of the management of any service the group members are using.
Long-term advocacy
Long-term advocacy is usually provided by citizen advocates, peer advocates and in groups, where there is the time for relationships to be formed and to last.
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