Advocacy for social work clients
Professional Independent Advocacy Services in the Forth Valley: a new service
From 2nd April 2012 professional independent advocacy services will be delivered by Forth Valley Advocacy under contract with the Clackmannanshire, Falkirk and Stirling Councils and NHS Forth Valley.
Local organisation, Forth Valley Advocacy, won the contract through competitive tender, submitting an excellent proposal that will ensure that people who need professional independent advocacy services will have access to a high quality, professional service at no financial cost to themselves.
People may use a range of health and social care services provided by the NHS and Local Authorities and may at times require the services of a professional advocate to deal with a specific issue or concern. Professional Independent Advocacy is one-to-one advocacy support for an individual on a specific problem at a particular period of time.
The new service will ensure that there is professional independent advocacy service for people in the Forth Valley area in order to meet requirements for service provision under:
- Adults with Incapacity (Scotland) Act 2000
- Mental Health (Care and Treatment) (Scotland) Act 2003
- Adult Support and Protection (Scotland) Act 2007
There are other models of advocacy but this contract relates only to professional independent advocacy which is expected to last for a few weeks or months while helping a Service User deal with a specific issue. This service does not include citizenship advocacy, peer group advocacy, support for self/collective advocacy or befriending.
The services will be flexible and typically may include, for example:
- communicating with people referred for a service and their family, friends and carers to establish the nature of the need which the advocacy services will address
- establishing with the Service User what results they are looking for and their options for action
- supporting people or speaking for them at Mental Health Tribunals, appeals hearings, etc
- supporting the Service User or speaking for them at formal service meetings
- negotiating on the Service User's behalf with service providers in seeking to address the issue of concern
Children or young people under the age of 16 years may access this service if they are subject to action under the Mental Health (Care and Treatment) (Scotland) Act 2003.
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Forth Valley Advocacy Manager: Wendy Sharp |
Stroke Point (for stroke survivors and carers)
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