East Lothian Independent Advocacy Strategy
East Lothian Health and Social Care Partnerships are currently developing an East Lothian Independent Advocacy Strategy and they would very much like to hear your views.
Independent advocacy helps people to have as much control as possible in their lives. An independent advocate is a person who will support people to have their views heard
Independent advocates:
speak up for people and groups
support people to know their rights and what choices they have
support people to understand what is happening to them and change things if needed
support people to make decisions based on all the information
help to stop difficult situations happening or stop difficult situations getting worse.
They can also support people and groups to develop the skills, confidence and understanding to speak up for themselves.
Independent advocates help people to get their views heard. They don't offer advice.
Why is independent advocacy important?
Independent advocacy helps people to share their voice at meetings and appointments. Independent advocates build up trust with the people they support. People feel at ease knowing their voice is being shared safely.
What is East Lothian's Independent Advocacy Strategy?
East Lothian Health and Social Care Partnerships want to make sure that people who need independent advocacy can get it. They are going to talk to lots of different people to hear their views and experiences.
They will use this information to shape their plan for independent advocacy in East Lothian. They call this plan the East Lothian Independent Advocacy Strategy. It looks at who needs independent advocacy in East Lothian and how to meet these needs.
We have made a start by making a draft strategy. This shows what we think is needed but we want to hear from you whether we've got it right.
What does the Independent advocacy strategy say?
It says that:
we should have independent advocacy services for people who need it
people who need independent advocacy should have this support for as long as they need it
people know where to find out how to get independent advocacy.
What sort of independent advocacy can people in East Lothian get now?
People who can get independent advocacy in East Lothian include:
People with learning disabilities aged 16 and over
People with autism aged 16 and over
Older people aged 65 and over
People with physical disability aged over 16
People with mental health issues aged 18 and over
Children and young people experiencing an eating disorder
Adults experiencing an eating disorder
Young adults aged 16-17 with mental health issues or drug/alcohol use
Children aged 5 -18, experiencing a Children’s Hearing and their siblings
Children and young people living away from home.
Why your views matter
They need your help to understand more about people's experiences of independent advocacy. They want to know what is going well and what could be better. They’d also like to know if you think other people should get independent advocacy. Please tell them who and why.
They’d like to hear from people who have used or are using independent advocacy and people who feel they'd benefit from it. They’d also like to hear from anyone who has ideas about the need for independent advocacy including professionals, third sector and community groups, and the general public.
Please take part in their survey to tell them what you think. You can do that by clicking on this link - East Lothian Independent Advocacy Strategy - East Lothian Council - Citizen Space (eastlothianconsultations.co.uk)