Advocacy Stories

Story One

In a typical week, L would attend her day services and for the remainder of the week would be at home usually in her bedroom and, at times, alone. L really would benefit from having an advocate, someone independent for her to help empower her to make more decisions. Now after a year of being matched with her advocate L has build up her confidence and has a lot more social activities in her life, so she is not spending as much time on her own.  In addition, her advocate is helping her to build more independence; L is looking into setting up a personal bank account so that she has more control over her money and able to spend her money while out.  She talks much more freely with her family about her wants and needs and, again with her advocate’s support, they have managed to complete a person-centred plan so that these issues can begin to be addressed. A person centred plan is about highlighting what a person wants in life and gives a pathway for making these things happen.

Story Two

When P was referred by his support team, he’d been going through a bad patch in his life; getting involved in anti-social behaviour, harming himself and causing damage to his flat. P and N’s partnership has been going well and he is now seeking to get involved in a local angling society and spending a lot more time in sociable places, such as pubs, cafes and restaurants, Gradually, P is coming out of his shell, talking much more positively about himself and future ambitions and now has the self-confidence to speak to comparative strangers when enjoying a drink- something he would never have even considered doing before.

Story Three

K was a young man who lived at home with his family. He was a very shy and nervous guy and relied a lot of the time on his mum to take him places.  While at his day services he did not speak much to staff or the other fellow workers.  K has been partnered for 8 months and so far with the support of his advocate, K has enrolled at College to commence a numeracy and language course. What’s more, K is now interacting much better with his peers at his day services and is keen to look for a job; he does some voluntary work at a local church coffee shop but would like to eventually find a paid job. He has a keen interest in the Police and would eventually like to work for them in some capacity. By going on regular outings with his advocate, K is meeting new people and looking to build a bigger social network. He is a regular at a city pub where they both have got to know the staff and pub regulars.