More information about citzen advocacy

Citizen advocacy is about establishing relationships between people labelled as having a learning disability and members of the community. It is a way of helping to create long-term relationships between people in the community who perhaps would not have met under everyday circumstances.

An advocate and partner will spend time getting to know each other and the advocate will support their partner to ensure their voice is heard, on occasions it may be necessary for an advocate to speak up for their partner. Advocates and their partner will socialise in their local communities and participate in things they both enjoy. Having a citizen advocate allows a person to have somebody in their life who is independent, unpaid and just for them.

Advocates make sure that their partners have an influence over the decisions that affect their lives, so that their needs are met and their rights and interests safeguarded. Advocates also ensure that the views and opinions of their partners are heard and respected, and that they are treated as individuals, and valued members of society. There are no restrictions on the time spent in this relationship. The organisation will support the advocate by way of initial preparation sessions, ongoing support sessions with other advocates and individual sessions with project workers.

Within the relationship the advocate will support their partner to:

•    Become fully involved with the ordinary community

•    Build social networks around their partner

•    Introduce them to their own social networks

•    Be heard, by giving them a voice and encourage them to speak up for themselves

•    Be at the centre of decisions concerning their life

•    Support them in making (and taking ownership over) informed choices

•    Achieve a sense of control and autonomy within their life

•    Make sure services include them and recognise their rights and choices

•    Assist with safeguarding from abuse or poor practice

Apart from the practical differences an independent advocate can make, the partner can gain value through a general involvement with him or her. They may:

•    Experience what it feels like to 'have a voice'

•    Feel validated as a result of having their views listened to and taken into account

•    Gain credibility and confidence by expressing their own ideas and aspirations and having these treated seriously

•    Find out (maybe for the first time) what it feels like to have someone purely representing their own perspective

•    Be less intimidated by the processes and services they encounter

•    Experience a relationship based on trust and good faith, and one which is equal

•    Do less of what they perceive to be expected of them, and more of what they really want