Advocacy

What is advocacy?

April 18, 2010

advocacy thanksOCD Action’s advocacy service is unique. Our Advocacy Manager and team of volunteers have helped people to access treatment, secure housing, stay in employment and turn their lives around.

To read our recent outcomes report please click here. Advocacy Achievements

Advocacy is about exploring options, securing rights, providing representation and enabling people to take the opportunity to regain power and control over their lives.

We will not tell you what to do but we can provide representation and support and give you information on your rights and options.

How an OCD Action advocate can help you?

OCD Action’s advocacy programme, funded by The Lloyds TSB Foundation, is benefiting people throughout the country by making resources available online and in print, providing telephone advocacy support throughout the UK and by working directly with people face-to-face in the Birmingham, Manchester and Liverpool areas. If you have an issue that you would like help with then please contact our Advocacy Manager Jude Wynne who can be accessed via our helpline number or via e-mail

0845 390 6234 / jude@ocdaction.org.uk

You can also share your concern with others via the online forum on this website under the heading ‘ Advocacy’. Sometimes the issues we deal with are fairly common and other forum users may have been in a same position.

Useful Information

The advocacy service has now provided information leaflets on the following;

You may also find these useful

Some useful external links

How the service is run

OCD Action’s Advocacy Service is run by the Charity’s Advocacy Manager, Jude Wynne. Jude works with a team of trained volunteer to provide support to clients.

Jude joined OCD Action in October 2009 as their Advocacy Manager with a remit of developing Advocacy support for people with OCD.

She began her career as a journalist, later joining the BBC where she worked as a Researcher, Producer and Director for 14 years, in programme areas covering ethical issues.

She became an Advocate in 2002, working for Age Concern and supporting older people in the community and developed an interest in supporting clients involved in ‘Adult Protection’ proceedings. She was an active member of Denbighshire and Conwy’s’ Protection of Vulnerable Adults Forum’ and developed training for local Domestic Abuse Forums  She chaired the ‘All Wales Age Concern Cymru Advocacy Network’ from 2004 -2007.

Jude became a Statutory Advocate in 2007 under the Mental Capacity Act Legislation and worked in North Wales as an Independent Mental Capacity Act  Advocate(IMCA), supporting clients who lacked capacity. This role included challenging poor practice in Health and Social Care settings and  monitoring of whether Public Bodies were acting in line with legislation such as ‘The Human Rights Act 1998’, ‘The Mental Capacity Act 2005’ and latterly the ‘Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards’ (DOLS)

Jude has supported clients with Learning Disabilities and Mental Health issues within Forensic settings in North Wales and has delivered extensive training to both NHS and Social Services staff on the value of Advocacy for service users and patients with mental health issues.

Currently Jude is the North West Representative for the National Coalition of Advocacy Schemes.

What you may want to know – FAQs

  1. Is an Advocate legally trained?
  2. Can an Advocate give me advice on treatments and medications?
  3. Do Advocates keep what I tell them in confidence?
  4. Will my Advocate really understand OCD?
  5. Are Advocates Independent of my healthcare team or social services?
  6. Do I have to pay for an Advocate?
  7. Are Advocates trained?
  8. How long will an Advocate work with me
  9. What happens if I don’t like my Advocate?
  10. Can I complain about my Advocate?
  11. Will my Advocate speak to people behind my back?
  12. Can my Advocate become my friend?
  13. Can my Advocate counsel me if I am feeling low?
  14. Will my Advocate do what I ask them to?
  15. Will my Advocate attend meetings with me or for me?
  16. Do I have to give official permission for my Advocate to act for me?
  17. What difference does having an Advocate Make?
  18. Do healthcare professionals have to take notice of what an Advocate says?

Is an Advocate legally trained?

Advocates are not generally legally trained and cannot give legal advice, but they can help find you legal representation.

Can an Advocate give me advice on treatments and medications?

Advocates are not clinicians- they cannot advise you on your medications or therapy but they can find out information for you so you can make informed choices about your treatment. They can also support you in meetings with healthcare professionals and social services.

Do Advocates keep what I tell them in confidence?

Advocates should operate to a ‘Code of Practice’ which maintains confidentiality (you can ask your Advocate to provide you with a copy of their Code of Practice). There are circumstances when confidentiality has to be breached and your Advocate should discuss these circumstances with you.

Will my Advocate really understand OCD?

Lots of Mental Health Advocates will have knowledge of OCD. The OCD Action Advocacy Service however provides Advocates with an in depth knowledge of OCD as our service is exclusive to people with the condition.

Are Advocates Independent of my healthcare team or social services?

All Advocates should be Independent of your healthcare providers or local authority. They are not members of your clinical team. Some patient Advocates are employed by the NHS but they should still maintain independence when representing you.

Do I have to pay for an Advocate?

No

Are Advocates trained?

Professional Advocates have usually had training in Advocacy and there is now an Advocacy Qualification that most Advocates are encouraged to have. Depending on the type of Advocacy, training can be quite intense. However Volunteer Advocates are more likely to be trained by the organisation for which they are working. They should be supervised and monitored by an Advocacy Manager and work to an established Code of Practice

How long will an Advocate work with me?

This depends on the type of Advocacy being offered. The OCD Action Advocacy service is ‘issue based’ this means that the Advocate will work with you until your issue or issues have been resolved

What happens if I don’t like my Advocate?

You are entitled to stop working with your Advocate whenever you like. In a service that provides a number of Advocates you can ask the Advocacy Manager for a replacement Advocate.

Can I complain about my Advocate?

Yes, most services have a complaints procedure that you can access.

Will my Advocate speak to people behind my back?

No, your Advocate cannot speak to anyone without your say so (unless confidence has to be breached) you would be informed if this was to happen.

Can my Advocate become my friend?

Advocates can be friendly but not friends. An Advocate has to maintain appropriate professional boundaries to be able to work with you in the most effective way.

Can my Advocate counsel me if I am feeling low?

Advocates often get to know their clients well and help them in whatever way they can, but they are not trained counsellors or therapists and should not take on this role with you.

Will my Advocate do what I ask them to?

Yes, your Advocate will work solely on your instruction.

Will my Advocate attend meetings with me or for me?

Yes your Advocate should be happy to do either.

Do I have to give official permission for my Advocate to act for me?

Yes you will have to sign ‘A Form of Authority’ which you should read and agree before signing. This will set out in what areas you would like the Advocate to act for you. Healthcare professionals and other agencies will not engage with an Advocate unless they have your permission and it is best that this is in written form

What difference does having an Advocate Make?

Feedback from our clients tells us that Advocacy can be incredibly effective in resolving issues. Clients feel supported in getting their views across.Advocates can represent their views, challenge poor practice and can point out to professionals when their client’s rights are being infringed. Some people only use Advocates as sounding boards to discuss their options, others who may be very unwell, rely on Advocates to attend meetings for them, make phone calls and write letters. An Advocate’s role however, is not to make you dependent on them but to help you regain your confidence so you can do things yourself. Your Advocate should work with you in a way that is most comfortable and helpful for you.

Do healthcare professionals have to take notice of what an Advocate says?

Some Advocates have ‘ statutory powers’ this means that Public bodies such as the NHS have to take notice of what they say. The Two types of statutory Advocates are : Independent Mental Health Act Advocates ( IMHAs) who work with people who are under a Section of the Mental Health Act 1983 ( amended)and Independent Mental Capacity Act Advocates(IMCAs) who work with people who have lost their mental capacity and have nobody else to represent them. OCD Advocates and most other advocates are non statutory but they are still very effective.

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