Sometimes you may feel you are not being listened to or you may feel unable to communicate or express yourself in order to get your own viewpoint across.
An advocate is someone who will support you to make sure that your views and rights are respected, that you are treated fairly, your concerns are taken into account and you have real control over the big decisions in your life. They can help you:
- speak up at meetings;
- deal with difficult issues; and
- help understand important decisions that are being made.
They are professionally trained, fair and impartial, and completely confidential and independent.
There are different types of advocacy:
Statutory advocacy
In some situations, you can be legally entitled to get the support of an advocate under the Mental Health Act, Mental Capacity Act or Care Act. Where there is no appropriate person to support you, statutory advocacy should be available when you have a difficulty understanding relevant information, retaining information, considering different options or communicating your views, wishes and feelings.
Community advocacy
All advocacy that isn’t statutory is known as ‘community advocacy'. This can include:
- advocacy for specific groups;
- group advocacy where people with similar experiences help establish the collective voice; or
- peer advocacy where people with lived experience support you to cope with a range of problems you may be experiencing.
You can find useful information produced by Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council’s Adults Social Care Department at Advocacy services for adults or a list of services that can support you in our service directory.