What is Advocacy?

“Remember the people you represent and what you are fighting for.”..Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Advocacy is about helping a person to be heard. Most people can act as advocates and use advocacy daily, for example parents listen to the needs and wishes of their children; managers respond to the views of their staff; friends stand by each other and offer support. This is often referred to as “informal” advocacy and is a part of everyday life.

Sometimes more formal methods of advocacy are required and this is often referred to as Independent advocacy. Advocacy is a tool that can be used in a variety of ways to ensure that minority and disadvantaged groups in society have a means to know about, and gain, the same life opportunities as others.

Advocacy aims to achieve a more equal and just society. There are many people in our society who are ignored because they have difficulty in gaining the attention that is needed to make sure their views and opinions are listened to and acted upon. This leads to them being marginalized, often socially excluded; isolated.

Advocacy offers support for people who are seeking resolutions to any issues that are of concern to them, by ensuring that their voice is heard and that they understand their civil and human rights. Advocacy is closely linked to the principles of Human Rights, disability discrimination, equality of opportunities and the social model of disability.

An advocate is a means to redressing the balance of power by providing a mixture of:

· Support

· Signposting

· Links to other services

· Sharing information and knowledge to support decision making

· Being a ‘voice’ to ensure that people’s rights are respected.

Advocacy offers an effective means to:

· Express choice

· Develop the confidence to express satisfaction or dissatisfaction

· Receive information

· Minimize risk

· Offer control to avoid isolation

· Provide strength to attain empowerment

Advocacy is guided by the principle that every person should be valued, and ensures that people are not ignored and excluded because of the prejudices they face, that lead to lack of respect from others. Advocacy promotes a person centered approach in everything it aims to achieve and is based on the belief that everyone has the right to:

· Be respected and listened to

· Be involved in decisions that affect their lives

  Have aspirations for their future