How our Advocacy Service can help you

Everyone deserves to be heard but, sometimes, dealing with various systems and organisations can feel overwhelming.  If you ever find yourself in that situation, our Advocacy Service may be able to help you.

We can work alongside you to make sure your voice is heard when dealing with publicly funded organisations.  Our role is simple but powerful - we open up communication between you and the people you need to speak with.  We are not here to take over the situation, but to help you navigate it.  Advocacy is about empowerment so our advocates will listen to you to gather information and help you put your case forward clearly and effectively.  We will not make decisions for you but will help you to express your thoughts, wishes and concerns to the organisations you are dealing with.

 What We Can Help With

We can only focus on matters that involve publicly funded organisations, such as Kent County Council (KCC), your local authority, or community health services.

Some of the most common areas we support include:

• Health – such as getting or resolving issues around GP appointments.

• Housing – helping you understand decisions made by housing associations or local councils, requesting information in a different format, or guiding you to the right information when applying for housing.

• Social Care – communicating with social services around carers’ assessments, care needs assessments, housing needs assessments, or arranging reviews of care packages.

We cannot offer appointment buddies but we can support you at a meeting with the relevant professional, whether via telephone, video call or in person, as well as signposting you to other services for support or advice as appropriate.

What We Cannot Do

To make sure expectations are clear:

• We cannot complain directly to private care agencies.  We can only deal with publicly funded bodies about a care package if needed.

• We cannot fill in applications or forms on your behalf, such as for housing or other services.  However, we can make sure you are directed to the right resources and information so you are fully informed about your options and any decisions made.

• We do not handle disputes with private landlords or private companies.

• We do not deal with legal or financial issues beyond communication with public bodies, or with family matters.

• We cannot duplicate the efforts of other professionals on the same issue.

• We cannot guarantee that you will get a particular outcome.

• We cannot accept responsibility if you make commitments without our Advocate's involvement.

How It Works

If you believe you need advocacy support, here is how you can use our service:

1. Contact us to tell us about yourself and the issue you’re facing.  We will check if your issue fits within the scope of what we can do.

2. Our advocate will contact you to discuss what has gone wrong (if anything), what actions you have already taken, and who you believe you need to speak with.  We can only assist with one issue at a time.

3. We will explore which public organisation is involved, what decision or outcome you seek, and what information is missing to help you.

4. We help you by communicating with that organisation.  This may include writing a letter and/or a phone call, clarifying what the organisation has said or done, or helping you understand their decision.

5. Advocacy support is time bound / short term (up to 8 hours of support) so we aim to work efficiently and effectively.

We are only able to work with people with physical disabilities.  Our advocacy service is delivered in partnership with The Advocacy People. 

If you would like advocacy support, please click the button below to fill in our referral form or contact us via phone on 01233 633187 or email info@disabilityassist.org.uk 

Refer to Us