Forensic Advocacy
Advocacy Experience has delivered professional advocacy services in secure forensic settings across the North West for nearly 10 years. Our forensic services are based in a range of low and medium secure mental health and learning disability settings.
Definition of Advocacy: “Advocacy is supporting and individual or group to express themselves and/or representing their views. Advocacy promotes social inclusion, equality and social justice.”
What is professional advocacy?
- It supports individuals or groups to express themselves and have a stronger voice
- It is independent of service providers
- It acts on the ‘instruction’ of patients, not in their ‘best interests’
- It channels patients views rather than filtering them out
- It aims to support and empower people towards self-advocacy
- It provides a confidential service to patients
- It supports patients to resolve issues at the lowest level
How is the advocacy service delivered?
- Advocates have a regular presence on each unit/ward
- Advocates make regular proactive approaches to all patients
- We provide a reactive service and respond to patients requests for advocacy support
- We either facilitate regular patient group advocacy meetings and/or raise collective issues on their behalf
- We inform patients of their rights and entitlements
- We support patients to liaise with external agencies (solicitors etc.)
- We support patients to meet with members of the MDT
- We offer support to patients to plan for and attend meetings related to their care, treatment and detention
- The service is optional and patients can choose not to engage with it
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