The Advocacy Alliance

Print this page

Register your support for the Advocacy Alliance

Campaigning for improved access to advocacy

What is the Advocacy Alliance?

The Advocacy Alliance is a coalition between national charities, and the advocacy and user involvement sector. It was formerly known as the Independent Advocacy Campaign. The aim of the alliance is to improve access to advocacy* for people who are not heard without the help of someone else, essentially, people with significant communication difficulties. We do this through research, campaigning and the promotion of good practice in advocacy.

Our key achievements to date include:

Research in to the lack of advocacy provision for people with physical, sensory, communication and profound and multiple impairments.
The launch of Advocating for Equality report at the House of Commons to outline the research findings.
The introduction of an early day motion supported by 56 MPs supporting the report and its recommendations.
The presentation of research findings to the All Party Parliamentary Disablity Group and Stephen Ladyman, Government Minister for Community Care.
Forging links with the Making Decisions Alliance, the Mental Health Alliance and the I Decide Coalition who are currently campaigning in relation to advocacy.

Our plans for the future include:

The development of a programme to promote the report recommendations and our work to key policy makers.
The development of policy statements relating to the role of advocacy in the context of current legislative and policy developments.
The production of regular information bulletins to keep our wider membership informed of our work.
The organisation of an event highlighting good practice and developments in advocacy for people who cannot give instructions.

Advocating for equality

The work programme of the Advocacy Alliance is informed by findings from our research to establish the level of advocacy provision for people with physical, sensory and communication and profound and multiple impairments. Findings were published in our report Advocating for Equality and showed these groups currently have very limited access to independent advocacy. This is despite the fact that they may be among the most in need of such support.

Key recommendations of the Advocacy Alliance include:

National Government

Increase funding for advocacy provision to ensure all disabled people have access to independent advoacy.
Place a statutory requirement on local authroties to produce local advocacy plans outlining how advocacy provision will be developed in the area, how different groups will be served and how funding dedicated to advoacy will be spent.
Allocate responsibility to advocacy to a singe department to ensure co-ordination of the governments strategy on advocacy.

Local government and health bodies

Plan for advocacy in conjunction with advocacy schemes, users of advocacy, disabled people and disability groups.
Consider how funding can be increased and allocated to ensure the needs of a broad range of people can be met.

Advocacy schemes and networks

Consider ways to make provision meet the needs of a broad range of people.
Encourage the development, dissemination and sharing of good practice for people with physical, sensory and communication and profound and multiple impairments.

Service providers

Encourage the use of independent advocacy in their services and provide training to their staff that will encourage a positive attitude towards advocacy.

* The Advocacy Alliance definition of advocacy is: taking action to help people say what they want, secure their rights, represent their interests and obtain the services they need.

Involvement and organisation

The alliance also welcomes backing from individual advocacy and user involvement schemes, statutory sector, and service providers that may join as supporters of the alliance. The Advocacy Alliance will meet regularly and organise other activities which promote good practice including information, articles and events.

For more information on the Advocacy Alliance, contact:

Rick Henderson
Director
Action for Advocacy
Lorrimore Square
PO Box 31856
London SE17 3XR
Email: rick@actionforadvocacy.org.uk

For more information relating to advocacy at the NAS contact:

Caroline Hattersley
Head of Advice and Advocacy
The National Autistic Society
393 City Road
London EC1V 1NG
Email: caroline.hattersley@nas.org.uk

Co-chairing will be reviewed annually.