Realising Equality through Active Participation
Maria Walls, National Manager
1
I was asked to speak about...
Where did the Impetus to establish the National
Advocacy Service come from?
What is the role of the NAS today?
What is the importance of training for Leaders and
families?
How can the NAS come together with organisations like
ÁT, people with disabilities and wider society to
promote solidarity for the Independent Living
movement and bring about inclusion and equality?Network!
2
National Advocacy Service
In 2004 the Citizens Information Board
engaged with the community and voluntary
sector in order to develop advocacy
provision.
In 2005 and 2006 expressions of interest
sought to set up pilot projects - 46 diverse
projects
3
National Advocacy Service stage 2
• Evaluation Report in June 2010 recommended
setting up the National Advocacy Service to
create a coherent national service.
• National Advocacy Service for People with
Disabilities was established by the Citizens
Information Board and launched by Minister
Joan Burton TD on March 31st 2011. National
Advocacy Service was managed from 2011 to
June 2014 by five Citizens Information Services
in Dublin (Clondalkin), Westmeath, Offaly,
Waterford and Leitrim.
4
NEW National Advocacy Service Regions 2014
Transfer of undertakings took place on
1st June 2014 – ONE new organisation
There are currently the following FTE posts
employed by the Service:
1 National Manager
4 Regional Managers
5 Administrators
7 Senior Advocates
28 Advocates
5
NEW National Advocacy Service Regions 2014
•
•
•
•
•
•
Western
Region
Clare
Donegal
Galway
Leitrim
Limerick
Mayo
•
Roscommon
• Sligo
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Southern
Region
Carlow
Cork
Kerry
Kilkenny
Tipperary
Waterford
Wexford
North East &
Midlands Region
• Cavan
• Laois
• Longford
• Louth
• Kildare
• Meath
• Monaghan
• Offaly
• Westmeath
Greater Dublin
Region
•DUBLIN
•FINGAL
•WICKLOW
6
Disability Population by Region
Disability Population by Region
Southern
28%
Western
23%
Gr Dub
30%
NE & Mid
19%
7
Congregated Settings
Congregated Settings Distriubution
Southern
27%
Western
24%
Gr Dub
32%
NE & Mid
17%
8
Current Levels of Activity
Open cases Nov 10th 2014: not including
initial enquiries
Greater Dublin
North East and Midlands
Western Region Cases
Southern Region
186
92
103
144
Total 525
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Advocacy
10
New Developments
Getting to One Service & Values Event
for all NAS staff and Board
4 & 5 November 2014
th
th
The implication of what model of
disability we operate in has an impact on
what advocacy issues we identify, how
we might work and what we might write
in how we represent people, what
meetings we attend.
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Approach – Equality
Medical
Needs
Social
Barriers - discrimination
Rights
Rights -- ordinary life
I choose where I live ……
Networks
Where do Decisions about people’s
lives get made?
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National Advocacy Service
for People with Disabilities
National Phone Line:
0761 07 3000
Ordinary Life
• Services understand that people need to move out of
“Servcieland” for people to have a life…
• Resources are predominantly tied up in old style services
• Assessment of need and resource allocation was due last
year – imminent?
• New challenge for National Advocacy Service around and
supporting people in the process of individualised
budgets and accessing brokerage models to have an
ordinary life
• Actions at individual, systemic and strategic levels
14
SUPPORTING DECISION MAKING
• Endorsing and skilling up on
supporting will and preference
• Supporting legal capacity
• Advocacy – Least restrictive alternative
• Challenges to Capacity assessments 15
UPDATES ON SERVICE
People always communicate
Power of labels
Enough is enough – “healing integrity gaps”
General desire to support freedom to live an
ordinary life
Seeing and believing in people's capacity
Mindfulness and design thinking -r e
disconnect
Risk trying to design it different
People, staff, culture
Duty of Care and Autonomy
Dignity of risk – not abandoned to risk
16
Getting to One Service & Values Event
Actions identified include at different levels:
•
•
•
•
Individual,
Systemic and
Strategic levels – NAG and RAG,
National structure to gather reoccurring
issues,
• Feeding into social policy.
17
Allies and Networks
Allies and NETWORKS
One VOICE
ONE position externally
Individually
Locally
Nationally
18
Convention on the Rights of People
with Disabilities
Basic social
rights.
Participation
rights
Personal
autonomy
rights
Liberty
Protective
rights
Equality
Networks
CRPD
Protection of all
rights not just the
right to protection
National Advocacy Service
for People with Disabilities
National Enquiry Line:
0761 07 3000