What is advocacy?

When important decisions are being made about your life, we will stand by you to help you to understand the important issues, understand your rights and take control of your life.

Advocacy means giving a person support to have their voice heard. It is a service aimed at helping people understand their rights and express their views.

Advocacy is what we do

Advocacy seeks to ensure that all people in society are able to:

• Have their voice heard on issues that are important to them
• Protect and promote their rights
• Have their views and wishes genuinely considered when decisions are being made about their lives

Advocacy is a process of supporting and enabling people to:

• Express their views, thoughts and concerns
• Access information, advice and guidance
• Explore choices and options for services and care

How will our Advocates help you?

At Advocacy Focus, we wil go above and beyond to support you in whichever way you may need us.

Our Advocates work independently from any local authorities or health/social care professionals, and so you can be confident that their main focus is to support you in the first instance.

We can support you by:

• Listening to you
• Being non-judgmental
• Providing you with information, advice and guidance
• Genuinely understanding your concerns
• Exploring your options
• Helping you think about outcomes and consequences
• Respecting your decisions
• Helping you to state your case - perhaps verbally or in writing

When can we help?

If you’re ever finding it a challenge to get your voice heard during any tough situations in your life, we can help.

Some of the common times you may find you need someone 'fighting your corner' include:

• When you're using or need access to Health Care or Adult Social Care Services.
• When you're not feeling at your most confident.
• When you're facing a life changing decision – maybe on where you’re living or what care you’re getting.
• When you're coping with personal or family illness, disability of bereavement.
• When you need practical support if you have a mental health issue or you’re in emotional distress.
• When you need support to feel fully informed and involved in discussions about things such as medical treatment.
• When you're being stopped or prevented from doing something that is important to you.

Local people come to Advocacy Focus for many different reasons.  If for any reason we do not feel that we can help you directly, then we will always point you in the right direction of somebody who can.

Find out more about how we can help with your health, care or well-being needs:

Ways we help

If you are a professional and wish to learn more about the different strands of advocacy that we provide, please click the following tab:

Types of advocacy