Advocacy Pilots for People Affected by Stroke

The SIAA has been working in partnership with The Stroke Association on the development of advocacy for people affected by stroke.  This work has led to the award of funding, by The Stroke Association, to three independent advocacy organisations to pilot advocacy for this group.

To support this project the SIAA was commissioned by the Stroke Association to produce a Literature Review.

The three pilots are being delivered by Advocacy Highland across Highland Region

Third Floor, 33 Academy Street
Inverness, IV1 1JN
Tel: 01463 233 460

info@advocacy-highland.org.uk

Lomond and Argyll Advocacy in West Dunbartonshire

155 Glasgow Road  
Dumbarton, G82 1RH

Tel: 01389 726 543

laasadvocacy@aol.co.uk

and Partners in Advocacy in their Edinburgh Physical Disability Service

17 John Cotton Business Centre  
10 Sunnyside  
Edinburgh, EH7 5RA

Tel: 0131 478 7723/4

edinburgh@partnersinadvocacy.org.uk

The pilots will run for about 20 months.

In selecting these three organisations The Stroke Association aimed to cover a range of varying geographical locations, demographics and advocacy models. The high level of interest in these pilots will be used as an indicator of the unmet need we know is out there. 

In addition to providing individual issue based advocacy two of the pilots plan to explore collective and peer advocacy for both stroke survivors and carers. There will also be a training package designed around advocacy and stroke which will be available to the advocacy movement and more widely for information and awareness raising.

Now that the decision on the sites has been taken the SIAA are fully involved in supporting the pilots and will be disseminating the learning to the advocacy movement. The Stroke Association will also be gathering information from advocacy organisations throughout Scotland on met and unmet need related to stroke.

The hope is that this work will provide evidence to support requests for increased funding for advocacy for people affected by stroke. We know how effective advocacy can be in promoting positive changes for individuals and the wider community and we intend to demonstrate this through our work in the pilots.

Stroke services, in the widest sense, that support both physical recovery and a continuing life as an active citizen are clear campaign targets for The Stroke Association Five Year Strategy for Scotland. Advocacy is an important strand of this focus. Advocacy can and does make a difference.

For more information about the pilots and the work of The Stroke Association on user involvement contact Charlotte or Karen on: