Advocacy Services
Advocacy services help you communicate your views. Advocates can take action to secure your rights, represent your interests, request things you need and challenge decisions.
There are informal advocates who may be friends or volunteers in local organisations and formal advocates services who help with legal or healthcare issues.
Independent Age produce a factsheet describing advocacy services that can be downloaded from their website HERE or obtained by calling 0800 319 6789.
How to find an advocate
Your local council should be able to provide information about advocacy services in your area.
The Devon Advocacy Consortium provides an independent, professional advocacy service for people over the age of 16 in Devon. It takes action to help people say what they want, secure their rights, represent their interests and to get the services they need. Advocates can visit you at home or a place of your choice and if an advocate can’t help they can find someone who will. The Devon Advocacy service can help you if:
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You have a health and / or social care related issue or complaint
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An informed choice has to be made
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A person lacks independent support
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The person is lacking in confidence or is having trouble communicating
The website is HERE
The local Healthwatch may be able to help you with complaints advocacy or put you in touch with local services. And the mental health charity MIND can put you in touch with local advocacy services.
OPAAL is a national organisation supporting independent advocacy services for older people.