About Advocacy: Winter edition available now

The winter edition of About Advocacy is now available for download here (pdf, 1292kb). If you are subscribed to receive a paper version, it should be with you any day now.

In this Edition:

CAP report shows that every £1 spent on advocacy gives back £5.90 in value. Find out how CAP placed this value on their work and what other Advocacy Organisations have found using the same methodology.

Other content includes an update on the Consultation on a Mental Health Strategy for Scotland and the SIAA consultation which is taking place around it and an update from NHS Scotland on Mental Health services for Deaf people.

CEMVO tell us about their Mainstreaming Race Equality Support programme and offer free support to mainstream Advocacy Organisations in Equality Impact Assessment processes.

Muriel Mowat previews the Mental Health Tribunal Guidance for Independent Advocates that the SIAA has been working on with input from member organisations. 

If you would like to receive a paper copy of the SIAA quarterly magazine, or have any feedback or ideas for future articles, please email us at enquiry@siaa.org.uk.

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Advocacy for those with long term neurological conditions.  A survey of need

The Towpath Trust has conducted an investigation on the need for advocacy for those with neurological disability.   The results of the survey demonstrate the need for Independent Advocacy for those with neurological conditions.  The Trust now aims, in partnership with other organisations, to campaign for wider access for this client group.

Of all long term conditions they most commonly result in loss of self-esteem and mental health issues. Many neurological conditions are associated with subtle unrecognised cognitive impairments that impact upon the ability to self-represent.

'I get muddled up and don't have much confidence'

There are many who struggle independently to resolve issues that cause distress because of poor numeracy/literacy skills, difficulty in understanding complicated systems, difficulties in accessing relevant information, poor confidence, mental health issues, sensory impairment, low intellect, poor education, poor social skills, difficulty in controlling emotions and impaired cognitive function.

The conclusions drawn from the research are:

• The study shows concordance between organisations and service users agreeing to the need for Independent Advocacy for long term neurological conditions.
• Health and social care systems are complex and difficult to navigate.
• The response rate, whilst low, was anticipated and comparable to similar postal surveys.
• The issues highlighted by organisations and service users are similar across a range of conditions suggesting that a generic rather than condition specific advocacy service is required.
• The volume of unmet advocacy need can be assumed as substantial and identifying resources to service this need challenging.
• Independent Advocacy enhances rather than impedes self-management.
• The need to explore the role of Independent Advocacy across a range on non-neurological long term conditions is evident.

A presentation showing the full findings can be found on the SIAA website.
Find the Summary Document here.
Read more about this project in the Summer edition of the SIAA Magazine, About Advocacy.

For more detail, please contact Tim Bone at timbone@towpathtrust.org.uk.

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Local author Alan Bissett formally launched a new service for adults and young people with learning disabilities across the Forth Valley Area. Quality Action Group of Stirling and Advocacy Into Action of Falkirk and Clackmannanshire have recently merged to become Central Advocacy Partners. The new organisation was officially unveiled at Stirling’s Tolbooth theatre on Friday to an audience of councillors, social services staff and service users from across the Forth Valley.

The critically acclaimed author of Boyracers and Pack Men gave his endorsement of the newly formed service; ‘Having a say in the decisions that affect our lives, be it at work or to do with where we live, is something that most us take for granted’, he said. ‘Sadly the views of people with learning disabilities are often lost or not taken into consideration. It is great to see Central Advocacy Partners taking its lead from the people who use the service.’

Central Advocacy Partners will serve the needs of hundreds of adults and young people from throughout the Forth Valley.

Elizabeth Findlay, manager of central Advocacy Partners, said: ‘Working as one organisation will allow us not only to pool resources and expertise, but increase the level and scope of services we can offer; ‘Ensuring that adults and young people with learning disabilities have their voices heard and can contribute in the decision making processes that impact upon their lives, is of paramount importance.’

The official launch of Central Advocacy Partners included music by Artlink, a live canvas-based interpretation of the event by artist Ramon Carr, and a short film by Small Majority, highlighting the personal experiences of service users.

24 October 2011

Our 2010 – 2011 Annual Report was launched at the Scottish Independent Advocacy Alliance Annual General Meeting last week.

The Report outlines the work we have been doing over the last year under the themes of quality, access and awareness as well as detailing the income and expenditure accounts.

The AGM was a great success with people coming from all over the country. After a morning of updates and information the afternoon consisted of lively group work; identifying themes, ideas and making suggestions that the SIAA can use to plan for a future on behalf of the Independent Advocacy movement.

The overriding theme coming out of the afternoon was that the movement needs to share and communicate more with other member organisations and feedback and pass on information to the  SIAA so that we can continue to represent our members in the most efficient and useful way. Suggestions included more face to face meetings, learning more about different areas and the different geographies covered and even including the SIAA on team meeting agendas so that a whole team can work with us rather than all the responsibility of the relationship falling to the Manager.

Other issues that were high in people’s minds were quality assurance and how we take that forward as a movement and building awareness about Independent Advocacy with politicians, councillors, commissioners and the public to protect the movement from threats such as competitive tendering. 

We will need a lot of co-operation for our members to take all of this forward but we are looking forward to the challenge.  We also want to say a big thanks to everyone who attended and helped make the day a success.

Karen Irvine (pictured) was keeping track of the day, you can watch a new short video to find out what we have been up to and where we are going. 

You can download a copy of the Annual Report here or contact us for a copy to be sent in the post.  Please get in touch if you have any questions or would like to discuss any of this further.

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13 October 2011