What is Independent Advocacy? PDF Print E-mail
Independent advocacy is a way to help people have a stronger voice and to have as much control as possible over their own lives. Independent Advocacy organisations are separate from organisations that provide other types of services. An Independent Advocate will not make decisions behalf of the person/group they are supporting. The Independent Advocate helps the person/group to get the information they need to make real choices about their circumstances and supports the person/group to put their choices across to others. An Independent Advocate may speak on behalf of people who are unable to do so for themselves.

The main themes of advocacy are:

  • Safeguarding people who are vulnerable and discriminated against or whom services find difficult to serve.
  • Empowering people who need a stronger voice by enabling them to express their own needs and make their own decisions.
  • Enabling people to gain access to information, explore and understand their options, and to make their views and wishes known.
  • Speaking on behalf of people who are unable to do so for themselves.

There are a number of models of independent advocacy. These are:

 

To find an advocacy organisation in Scotland, visit our Directory Page or see our glossary for a description of  the terminology used.

To find out how independent advocacy can change lives, watch our short film, A Voice to Trust. Read about how advocacy has changed lives on our stories and case studies page. 

 

 
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