Advocacy Services

Our Independent Advocacy Services provide support for Derbyshire residents to have their voice heard when important decisions are being made about their lives or to overcome issues that are impacting on their health and wellbeing.

What Is Advocacy?

Advocacy is about helping you to express your views or concerns, to explore your choices, to access information and services and to protect and promote your rights. An advocate is independent and there to represent you. Support from an advocate can be helpful in all sorts of situations, including if you are worried that you are not being listened to by services or professionals.

How can we help you?

I want to Refer Myself (or my Relative)

I'm a Professional Making a Client Referral

What Can An Advocate Do?

The role of an advocate depends on your situation and the support you want. But they are there to support your choices.

An advocate can:

  • listen to your views and concerns
  • help you explore your options and rights (without pressuring you)
  • provide information to help you make informed decisions
  • help you contact relevant people, or contact them on your behalf
  • accompany you and support you in meetings or appointments.

An advocate will not:

  • give you their personal opinion
  • solve problems and make decisions for you
  • make judgements about you.

The support of an advocate is often particularly useful in meetings when you might not feel confident in expressing yourself. They can:

  • support you to ask all the questions you want to ask
  • make sure all the points you want covered are included in the meeting
  • take time to clearly explain your options to you without giving their opinion
  • help keep you safe during the meeting – for example, if you find the meeting upsetting, your advocate can ask for a break until you feel able to continue.

I find it helpful and reassuring to have a third person in the room willing to support my stance... It makes me feel far less worried about being misunderstood or having my concerns dismissed

- Advocacy Client