What is Advocacy?
Advocacy is about making sure that people’s rights are protected, that their views, wishes and feelings are heard and listened to, that they are supported to make their own informed choices, to be independent and to change things to make them better.
At some point in our lives, most of us will speak up for ourselves and others about certain issues or we may hope that someone will speak up for us. Unfortunately, there are some people who may need more help than others because they are at a greater risk of being ignored and not listened to or perhaps they do not have the ability to speak up for themselves. Independent advocates work with the person to help put them in control of their own life.
What does an advocate do?
Listen to the person and ask them questions to understand what they want or feel
Help the person to find information and explain what might happen if they make one choice or another choice
Give the person time to think about their choices
Help the person to say what they want to say
Speak for the person on their behalf if they want them to
What will an advocate not do?
Give the person advice or make decisions for them. An advocate will not tell the person what they should do
Take someone else’s side
Work with the person all of the time or keep working with them when their issue is resolved
Work with the person if the person does not want them to
Support the person with day-to-day tasks and activities