Our Stories
Take a look at how we have made an impact on peoples lives.
We know that advocacy makes a difference to people’s lives, because people and their families tell us as well as professionals and services that have contact with them. In addition to this feedback we look for other ways to measure the difference that advocacy makes. For example using Outcomes Stars to track the start and finish scores in specific areas. It sounds clinical, but we want everyone to see the evidence and the value that advocacy brings to individuals and the wider community.
Story One - Getting the right support
Stan (not his real name) was referred to advocacy by his social worker to attend our Friday Network group. He had a learning disability and was living with his older parents who both had serious health issues and their own social worker. The advocate met with him and quickly realised that Stan had lost his confidence and independence over the years as his parents had got older, and needed support to make sure that his needs were being listened to. The advocate spent some time getting to know him to identify what he wanted and fed this into his care planning. Some of the things the advocate did were:
- identify that Stan (and his parents) had a legal entitlement to advocacy and request that both social workers make referrals for Care Act Advocacy
- support Stan to get a bus pass so he could travel independently to the Friday Network and other places
- access his GP and request an Annual Health Check
- join the library and start reading books again
- help Stan liaise with his bank so that he could access his account, book a hair cut and go to the opticians
- work with Stan to put processes in place for dealing with household post
- help Stan to work with all the different agencies and professionals coming into the house that support him and his parents
Click here to listen to the the advocate talk about how ‘giving a voice’ in this proactive and practical way has helped Stan get the right support, and that this will be an ongoing process as he and his parents get older.
Story Two – The importance of self advocacy
Fahmina got in touch with Speakeasy when she was planning to move to Basingstoke. She found our website and rang us asking about what advocacy groups she could join. We explained that we would need to meet her first and then see if the groups were the right ones for her. Fahmina gave us a call after she had moved and the advocate met with her in our building so she could see where we were based. Fahmina liked the sound of the Friday Network group, but the advocate explained that she could only attend if the place was funded through her HCC care provision. The advocate helped Fahmina talk to her social worker about the group and some other things that still hadn’t been sorted out. The advocate also chased up the social worker when there was a delay with the funding being arranged.
Fahmina is now enjoying her new friendships and learning about local services and community activities. “It’s really helped me settle in my new home town. I enjoy getting ready for Friday Network, as I look forward to the sessions. I find Speakeasy important for me because it’s learning disability community and it helps me know my rights. Also giving me chance to give my voice”.
Listen to Fahmina explain why self advocacy is important for her to feel part of a community, learn new things and not feel like she is the only one with hidden disabilities.
Story Three - Relevant Person’s Representative (RPR)
Our advocates act as RPR for a number of people who live in Hampshire but are placed out of their home area away from family or the people who fund their care. We provide in-person visits for people who are ‘deprived of their liberty’ either through the MCA legislation or Court order, and who live in residential care homes or specialist hospitals. The advocate’s role is important to support the person to understand why they are ‘deprived of their liberty’ and to challenge this on the person’s behalf if they are objecting.
Our advocates are highly skilled in ‘non instructed’ advocacy so can build relationships with people and find out what is important to them. This includes people who have controlled substance use, acquired brain injury or complex needs and behaviours. Our advocates are up to date with case law and can recognise behaviours that may constitute an objection, and understand how to raise challenges with the home staff, social workers and instruct solicitors on the person’s behalf where necessary.
Recent examples where we have supported people’s rights being upheld include:
- repeatedly challenging a home to comply with the conditions of the authorisation so that the person is supported to reconnect with family
- getting the local authority to comply with its legal duty to carry out a needs assessment.
