Independent advocacy is about speaking up for an individual or group. It is a way to help people have a strong voice and have as much control as possible over their own lives. Independent advocacy is an equal partnership. It helps build capacity and agency, on a one-to-one or collective basis.
Advocacy helps people to
- know and understand their rights
- navigate the system
- access the right support
- access choices
- make informed decisions
- understand the consequences of decisions
Several groups can access independent advocacy in Scotland. You can use the SIAA ‘Find an Advocate’ tool to see what is available in your area. There is a right of access to independent advocacy in the Mental Health (Care and Treatment) (Scotland) Act which covers people with mental illness, people with learning disabilities, autistic people and people with dementia.
How independent advocacy can help
There are approximately 35 independent advocacy organisations in Scotland. Independent advocacy is usually delivered face to face but can also be provided remotely or via telephone, always as person centred as possible.
Independent advocates can sometimes help with complaints to public services across Scotland. Independent advocacy can explain what your choices and rights are, help you have your views heard in a variety of ways.
The difference between independent advocacy and advice:
- independent advocacy and advice are mutually supportive, but distinct avenues of assistance
- independent advocacy and advice are not interchangeable - they fulfil different functions and provide different levels of support
- it is a fundamental tenet of independent advocacy that people accessing it are "protected from undue pressure, advice or others' agendas" (SIAA Principles, 2019)
Advocacy and advice organisations across Scotland
Independent advocacy is provided differently across Scotland, to find out what is available in your local area please use the ‘Find an Advocate’ tool on the Scottish Independent Advocacy Alliance (SIAA) website.
Please see details below of advice organisations across Scotland that can help you:
- Citizens Advice Scotland (CAB)
- Patient advice & support Scotland (PASS)
- Shelter Scotland - housing advice
Other support organisations across Scotland Please see details of support organisations and charities across Scotland that can help you:
- Samaritans - a registered charity aimed at providing emotional support to anyone in emotional distress and struggling to cope
- Breathing Space - a free and confidential phone service for people feeling low, depressed or anxious
- Cruse Bereavement Care Scotland - a registered charity seeking to help anyone experiencing bereavement to understand their grief and cope with their loss