We’re delighted that we’ve once more been awarded the Advocacy Quality Performance Mark (QPM) – demonstrating that we meet the high standards for independent advocacy set by the NDTi (National Development Team for Inclusion). Advocacy is a vital service that gives people a voice, upholds their rights and supports them to express their needs, particularly when it comes to their health and social care. We’ve been assessed against the principles set out in the Advocacy Charter – but what are they? These core values are the ones that should underpin everything an advocacy organisation does, from ..read more

It’s Learning Disability Week, but advocating for the rights and needs of learning disabled people is something that goes on year round. At a time when life expectancy among the LD population is still lower than for other adults, it's imperative that barriers are removed and that everyone has access to healthcare information, preventative care and treatment. Where does advocacy come in? Advocacy empowers people with the skills and confidence to speak up and represent themselves, and acts to represent people’s needs and wishes where this is not possible. Advocacy is there to make sure informati ..read more

Volunteers are at the heart of our organisation: it’s no exaggeration to say that without them, we simply could not carry out all the work that we do on a daily basis! Our volunteers take on a wide variety of roles within our local Advocacy and Healthwatch teams, from behind-the-scenes tasks such as IT and administrative support, to face-to-face work with the public. As a volunteer you could be helping at events to promote our services in your community, carrying out surveys to gather feedback from the public, taking part in visits to health and social care providers to ensure everything is w ..read more

Support advocate Maxine is one of the team working out of our Contact Centre in Hastings. She and her colleagues are usually the first port of call for anyone getting in touch with The Advocacy People, whether that’s a member of the public making a first enquiry to seek support, an existing client checking in with their case, or a professional putting in a referral. We caught up with Maxine to find out all about her job and to get to know her a little better too! How long have you been working at The Advocacy People and what was your background prior to that? I’ve been working here for 10 mon ..read more

“It’s about listening to people, taking time at their pace to discover what they need and want, and making sure their voices are heard.” The Advocacy People is now the provider of advocacy services for adults in Southampton, as well as advocacy for children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities. But what is advocacy? “Advocates work alongside people who find themselves – perhaps through age, injury, illness, or disability – struggling to be heard,” explains CEO at The Advocacy People Matthew Hilton. “We take time to find out who a person is, what they feel, and how they would like t ..read more

Each year The Advocacy People welcome student social workers on placement and they generally stay and work with us for around four months. It’s often a chance for students to accrue the practical case work hours they need, in a variety of working environments which they may not yet have encountered during their study. Student volunteers also gain insights into the role of the advocate when working under the different legal frameworks in health and social care, such as the Mental Capacity Act, the Mental Health Act and the Care Act. Our students tell us that they gain a great deal from their pl ..read more

Amy is an advocate in the Kent team. She has ADHD and her son is autistic. Here, Amy shares experiences of work and life as an 'ADHDer' for #NeurodiversityCelebrationWeek Do you come across as very capable whilst you feel like you are swimming through peanut butter? Do you sometimes find yourself saying the wrong thing, when it’s already out of your mouth? Do you regularly spend half an hour looking for your glasses or find your phone in the laundry basket? Have other people asked you if you ‘find life hard’ or questioned why you haven’t reached your ‘full potential’? Can you only attend meeti ..read more

“It’s about listening to the young person, taking time at their pace to discover what they need and want, and making sure their voice is heard.” We've started the new year with a new contract supporting children and young people in Wandsworth, and it's an exciting moment to look ahead. We'll be providing the advocacy service for children, teenagers and young people up to the age of 25, including those who are looked after or privately fostered, young people leaving care, and children who want to make a complaint about their care. Support is also available for children who are disabled or have ..read more

Self-Advocacy in action Choices Voices is a fledgling peer advocacy / self-advocacy group, where members are learning about advocacy and developing the knowledge, confidence and skills that will enable them to advocate for themselves. It meets at Choice in Camborne, Cornwall, a centre where people with a very wide range of learning disabilities and needs are supported to meet friends and take part in activities they choose – from walks or gardening to dance, art and craft, and singing. So what is self-advocacy? Self-advocacy is about individuals in a group learning the skills and building the ..read more

When a caller in distress comes through to Kayleigh or one of her colleagues, set processes must be followed, but experience and intuition guide the judgements made to ensure that a person is kept safe. Our Contact Centre based in Hastings is the front line of the organisation: support advocates handle hundreds of calls and emails each week. At the start of each day, email enquiries and voicemails are triaged and allocated out to the team by supervising advocate Steve. But a call from a person that causes concern could come in at any time. Safeguarding calls fall broadly into two categories ..read more