LAMP's Advocacy Service
Advocacy is way of representing people’s interests. It empowers them to express their personal views and needs (for example by accompanying people to meetings or helping them to write letters) so that they can get their rights and entitlements.
Advocacy is taking action to help people:
- To say what they want and think
- To get the information they need
- To understand and make choices
- To understand their rights
- Get their rights
Advocacy is:
- Free, confidential & independent
- Person centred
- A way of working in partnership with the people being supported, taking their side.
Non – instructed Advocacy
Some people are not able to make decisions for themselves. This could be because they may not be able to communicate what they want or think, or because they do not understand.
In this case advocacy will also:
- try to find out as much as possible about the person
- try to find different ways of communicating with the person
- make sure the person can exercise their rights and get what they are entitled to
- make sure everyone works in a person centred way.
LAMP provides advocacy for people who use or seek to use Mental Health Services & their Carers.
By offering you the information you need to assert your rights and make informed choices, advocates can help you to express your own needs or those of the person for whom you care.
- Generic Mental Health Advocacy Service: an advocacy service for people of working age experiencing mental distress.
- Independent Mental Health Advocacy (IMHA) : Advocacy service for people who are legally entitled to specialist advocacy under the Mental Health Act 1983.
- Specialist Older People's Advocacy Service for individuals with functional mental health issues, but not dementia related illness.
- Peer Advocacy provided by trained volunteers who have personal experience of using Mental Health Services.
- Carers Advocacy for individuals caring for people in mental distress
A way of working has been agreed in Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland between advocacy agencies, which can be found in the Advocacy Code of Practice.
