Fashion Fundraiser raises £1,642 for charities Advocacy Focus and Lancashire Women
On Wednesday, October 16th, Advocacy Focus held an amazing Fashion Fundraiser with Lancashire Women! The event took place at the...
Read MoreOur community advocacy service in Lancashire and St Helens can support you if you are over the age of 18, have a health or social care related issue and feel that having someone by your side will help to have your voice heard.
Advocacy can support you to become more involved in matters that impact on your health and social care. Community advocacy, sometimes referred to as non-statutory advocacy or generic advocacy, is a preventative approach that enables you to be an active citizen and self-advocate regarding decisions affecting your own life.
Advocacy can help when you feel no-one is listening to you, when you feel you have been treated unfairly, when you need support to access services and can also help you to put across your views and wishes to professionals. Advocacy can help you challenge decisions and support you to complain about situations you are not happy with.
Watch nowCommunity advocacy can equip you with the knowledge and skills to be able to deal with health and social care services with confidence.
Community advocacy can support you over the phone or face to face with things such as; self-advocacy, challenging decisions about your care and treatment, accessing mental health services, healthcare or social care services, end of life care planning, future care planning, advanced decisions and more.
You can look at our self-help tools where we have useful toolkits, guides and resources aimed to provide practical help for you to overcome issues by yourself.
If you need our support, you can speak to someone on the phone to help you with a particular problem you are having. We can help you to self-advocate and signpost you to other services and support if needed.
If you feel you require further support with a problem you are facing, you may be able to access support from one of dedicated advocates who will provide practical support around a specific issue. If you need our support you can call us on 0300 323 0965 or click here to fill out our referral form.
Browse our self help resourcesWe can help you access the services and support you need and make you aware of your rights when it comes to statutory advocacy. Statutory advocacy is advocacy that is required by law, i.e. someone who is being treated under the Mental Health Act may be legally entitled to the support of an Independent Advocate.
If you feel you have care and support needs, but do not meet the requirements for a Care Assessment or Review, or you need help with your care planning, we can support you.
We can provide you with self-help guides or support from an Independent Advocate in raising your complaint. We are completely independent of the NHS and Social Services and on your side.
We can help you access mental healthcare services, or help you feel more confident to voice your own views and wishes when dealing with mental healthcare services.
Whether you need help seeing a GP or visiting a hospital or need to access/deal with social services, we can help you.
Advocacy can help you raise concerns or challenge decisions. If you feel something isn’t right with your care provider, our self-help tools can help you raise complaints and feel more confident to speak up for yourself.
In a world of budget cuts where services are disappearing or changing every day, we can work with you to make sure that you continue to get the help and support you need.
We can help you explore your options – for example, what medication you take and when and how to take it. An Advocate can help you to communicate your needs and wishes.
A Lasting Power of Attorney (LPA) is a legal document that lets you appoint one or more people (known as ‘attorneys’) to help you make decisions, or to make decisions on your behalf. This is very important and something to think about if you are in ill health. Did you know you can appoint your LPA now online by yourself? Read more here.
End-of-life care planning (sometimes called advance care planning) involves thinking about, talking about and making plans about how you are cared for in the final months of your life. We can ensure you get the support you need during this emotional time and that your wishes are taken into consideration. You can also access some free guides and resources on how to do this here.
Although it’s hard to think about now, there may be a time when you or someone you know becomes too unwell to make important decisions about their care and treatment. We can help you communicate your decisions and future plans before that time comes, for example, if you have recently been diagnosed with a degenerative illness. You can also use this free online tool to start recording your advanced decisions and statements in one place.
You can refer yourself
Follow the link below to complete a referral form.
Speak to a member of our team
Speak to our team call 0300 323 0965 now or use our ‘Ask an Advocate’ Live Chat on our website.
Referals on your behalf
Ask your Social Worker or healthcare professional to refer on your behalf.