Factsheet 5: Advocacy
Advocacy can help you to have your say
if it’s hard for you to make other people
listen and take notice.
Advocacy is especially useful for parents
who have mental health issues or
learning difficulties, parents involved in
child protection proceedings or if dealing
with many different professionals at
once.
An advocate can help you make sure
that the things that matter to you are
taken into account if decisions are made
about you or your family.
Finding independent advocacy
Parents who use mental health services,
those with learning difficulties, and
others if needed, should be helped to
find independent advocacy from different
organisations involved with disability,
parenting and welfare.
One independent advocacy provider with
experience in supporting disabled
parents especially in child safeguarding
matters is Equal Lives.
My advocate is a godsend.
She’s like a dog with a bone.
An advocate won’t tell you what you
should do. They make sure you have
information about your rights and options
so that you can make informed decisions
that suit you and your family best.
An advocate can help you decide what
you need to have choice and control in
your life.
An advocate will support you to speak up
for yourself, and will only speak on your
behalf if you ask them to do so.
Independent advocates work for the
person asking for support, not other
people or services.
Some services have advisors to make it
easier to use their services. Many of
these advisors also have an advocacy
role, but their independence may be
limited by the service.
Contact Equal Lives on tel: 01508
491210 or email info@equallives.org.uk,
www.equallives.org.uk
Equal Lives may also be able to support
parents in talking to Social Services to
make sure money paid from a Personal
Budget is enough for the amount of care
needed.
They can also help with housing issues
or other matters which affect your life.
Advocacy should be arranged for any
disabled parent who needs it in
Community Care assessments, or if
there are adult or child safeguarding
issues.
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Self advocacy
Self advocacy happens when people
learn to speak up for themselves, as
individuals or a group. It’s easier when
you meet others with the same issues.
When I first came to the self
advocacy group I was very shy.
Now I’m more confident and I don’t
take nonsense from anyone.
Norfolk Disabled Parents is led by
disabled parents working for choice
and equality for all disabled parents
and their families.
Visit www.norfolkparents.org.uk for our
factsheets and films of disabled parents
sharing their experiences. Our
factsheets include
• Personal Budgets and Direct
Payments
• Planning your assessment
More information about advocacy,
benefits, illness and disability
Equal Lives tel: 01508 491570
www.equallives.org.uk
DIAL Great Yarmouth tel: 01493
856900
www.dial-greatyarmouth.org.uk
• Personal assistants
• Eligibility
• Advocacy
• Young Carers
• Schools
• Norfolk’s Disabled Parents Protocol
Norfolk Disabled Parents
WNDiS (West Norfolk) tel: 01553
782558
www.wndis.org.uk
First Focus (Fakenham) tel: 01328
855083
www.firstfocus.org email:
info@firstfocus.org
info@norfolkparents.org.uk
www.norfolkparents.org.uk
Phone: 078 525 989 54
145 Main Road, Clenchwarton, Kings Lynn,
Norfolk PE34 4DT
Gingerbread Single parents Helpline
0808 802 0925.
Factsheets www.gingerbread.org.uk
Parents with disabled children
www.familyvoice.org.uk;
www.norfolkparentpartnership.org.uk
© NDP Apr 2013
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