Advocacy

Advocacy means having someone who'll speak up on your behalf. An advocate can help express your views and wishes and secure your rights.

If you're a young person, a parent or a carer and find it hard to get your point across, advocacy might be helpful for you.

To find advocacy services, visit our Cindex directory website and search for 'advocacy'. You'll find the contact details for each advocacy service.

Here are some advocacy services for specific circumstances.

Support for parents and young people

The Special Educational Needs and Disability Information, Advice and Support Service (SENDIASS) can provide advocacy support for parents, carers and young people.

As a young person with SEND, you can access this support and ask for advice, independently of your parents.

Children aged 5 to 18 and in the care of the council can access the advocacy service for disabled young people run by Wac Arts.

Mental capacity advocacy

If you are aged 16 or older and need support the Independent Mental Capacity Advocates (IMCA) can help if you:

  • can't make big decisions for yourself
  • don't have anyone else to help you

Support for those aged 18 and over

Care and support advocacy

The Care Act 2014 says you must be included in decisions about your care and support, such as:

  • assessments
  • making plans
  • safety concerns

If you want someone to support you during this, a Care Act advocate can help. This support is also available if you're a carer.

Mental health advocacy

The Independent Mental Health Advocates (IMHA) service offers support if you're dealing with mental health problems and are either:

  • under section
  • based in the community

We must make sure you can get help from an IMHA if you:

  • are sectioned under the Mental Health Act
  • are under guardianship according to the act
  • have a community treatment order
  • are conditionally discharged

Learning disability advocacy

A learning disability advocate can help you do many things, such as:

  • give you tools for better communication, such as Makaton
  • make sure you have enough time to understand information given to you
  • make sure you have enough time to share your thoughts before making a decision

Visit Camden Care Choices for information on help from specialist advocates.