Non-Statutory Advocacy
What is Non-Statutory Advocacy
Non-statutory advocacy is offered to someone because, even though the law does not specifically give them a right to it, it is still recognised that access to an independent advocate can help to promote equality, social justice, inclusion and the upholding of human rights.
Our non-statutory service is designed to support individuals who, for various reasons, find it difficult to find or understand information, to access services, to make decisions or to speak up for themselves. We work with people to ensure that their legal and human rights are respected and that they are able to find ways to overcome specific issues in their lives.
What can non-statutory advocates do?
Our advocates can:
Offer people support to address specific issues and life events (such as difficulty accessing services, addressing poor experiences of services or dealing with abuse, victimisation or harassment)
Support people to find and understand relevant information from appropriate sources
Support people to access, engage with and understand generalist and specialist advice services
Help people to talk to third parties or to talk to them on their behalf (this might include helping a person to write a letter or email, support with making phone calls or assistance with preparing for and attending meetings)
What can advocates not do?
Advocates cannot give advice. An advocate may help a person to understand and explore their options, and to think about the potential consequences of their choices but our advocates will never tell a person what they should do. Advocates will commonly provide support to a person to obtain advice from other specialist/generalist agencies.
Advocates are not support workers or case managers and do not provide practical support with things such as paying bills.
Who can be supported by an Advocate?
Our service is for people who are 18 and over and who find it challenging to find or understand relevant information, access or engage with information and advice services, understand or distinguish between options and to articulate their views to other people. Most commonly the services is provided to people with:
a learning disability
autism
severe and enduring mental ill health
dementia/Alzheimer’s
This is not an exclusive list and we are here to provide support to people who need it. Please contact us if you are unsure.
Who can refer?
We will accept self-referrals as well as referrals from third parties (relatives, friends, other voluntary or statutory services) provided that the referral has been discussed with the person and they have given their consent.
Click the button below to download a referral form or call us on 0121 706 4696
