Advocacy

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Advocacy is about speaking up, or being helped to speak up. It is about making sure your views and wishes are heard and understood. If someone is supporting you to speak up they are known as an advocate.

Your advocate might support you in everyday situations as well as in meetings or assessments with social workers, or help you to make a complaint. You may only need or want an advocate for a short time to help you through a crisis, or you may have an advocate for many years.

There are many types of advocacy. Below are some examples:

Self-Advocacy is where people speak up for themselves.

Citizen Advocacy is where a trained volunteer advocates on behalf of someone who is at risk of being discriminated against.

Paid Advocacy is often used when short-term advocacy is needed and is usually based around a particular issue.

Below is a list of organisations that provide various types of advocacy. If you are unsure which type of advocacy you want or need, the Advocacy Network might be a good starting point.

• Advocacy Network Leeds
• Leeds Advocacy
• Leeds People First
• Women First
• Advocacy And Interpreting Service (AIS)