Advocacy Alliance provides advocacy for any person aged 18 or over with a learning disability, physical disability, sensory impairment, mental health issue, dementia, substance abuse or frailty/temporary illness.
Themes
Advocacy in the local community.
Locality
The Scarborough, Whitby and Ryedale area.
Aims
To provide advocacy for any person aged 18 or over with a learning disability, physical disability, sensory impairment, mental health issue, dementia, substance abuse or frailty/temporary illness.
Details
The need for advocacy in the local community was identified in 1991 when our charity was registered. We receive some SS/CCG funding but could not fulfil the demand for advocacy without the extra funding we bring to the service and without the volunteers. Our advocates (approximately 40) are trained volunteers or members of our trustee board. All have been recruited through a robust recruitment process including a disclosure and barring service check and training in local adult safeguarding procedures before being matched on a one-to-one basis with a vulnerable adult in the community. We work closely with other providers in the community and statutory services and our service is communicated by word of mouth, adverts in local press and radio, leaflets, posters in communal areas and networking at meetings.
Our feedback suggests most clients have benefited from our service. Having support to understand their rights and make their voices heard enables them to participate in the issues they bring to us, e.g. support at reviews, letter writing, visits to GPs, safeguarding meetings, child protection meetings, conflicts with carers/service providers, complaints procedures or any meeting or issue where they don't understand or don't feel listened to.
Service providers have stated they also feel that advocacy involvement can be beneficial in enabling good communication. Independent evaluation of the parents' advocacy found advocacy 'invaluable'.
We are most proud of the volunteers and the loyalty and time they give to their local community providing advocacy support. We offer regular training sessions and updates and value them very much.
Contact details
Advocacy Alliance
Office 28
The Street
12 Lower Clarke Street
Scarborough
YO12 7PW
Tel: 01723 363910
Web: www.scarboroughadvocacy.co.uk
