PRINCIPLES OF SANDWELL ADVOCACY Sandwell Advocacy is founded upon principles which set us apart from other providers of services / organisations who provide support for those in need. Sandwell Advocacy supports people who are unable to speak up for themselves using a combination of Independent ‘issue-based’ advocacy and / or volunteer Citizen Advocacy. Sandwell Advocacy is reluctant to refer to individuals we work with as ‘clients’ or ‘service users’, believing them to be terms used by other service providers which often have negative connotations for those that have accessed them. Instead we call all the people we work with PARTNERS. The following principles provide guidance for both paid and unpaid advocates: ONE TO ONE RELATIONSHIP Sandwell Advocacy provides advocacy that is a partnership between an individual unable to advocate for themselves and another who is able to do so. Unlike Group Advocacy, which is often effective when advocating on group issues such as legislation, disability rights etc, we provide a match between two people in which the loyalty is with a specific individual. PURPOSE OF RELATIONSHIP Amongst many other things it is anticipated that an advocate will seek to: • Explore avenues open to a person; explaining these avenues
in a clear and understandable way to ensure that informed decisions
can be made; and then supporting people to articulate their views,
needs and wishes to the appropriate people / services. LOYALTY TO PARTNER In order to effectively represent their partner an advocate’s primary loyalty must be to that person. To ensure that the views / needs of the partner carry as much weight and do not become distorted by the interest of others (service providers, relatives), it is essential that the advocate strives to define situations from their partners perspective. Advocacy partnerships can be paid or unpaid and Sandwell Advocacy has structures in place to ensure that both are adequately supported. Both paid and volunteer advocates are: • Independent from agencies and settings that provide services
for their partners. ADDITIONALLY, volunteer advocates will: • Be supported by, but independent from, Sandwell Advocacy. INDEPENDENCE Sandwell Advocacy is an independent registered charity with an independent management committee. We ensure and maintain our independence by: • Ensuring that commissioners or providers of services do
not formulate or influence our policies and practices. MANAGEMENT Members of the Management Committee are local people, who are independent of agencies that might provide services to partners, and who have time, energy and commitment to give to Sandwell Advocacy. Where it is identified that Management Committee members may be / are part of services / local authority, they are asked to complete a Declaration of Interest and are made aware of any potential conflicts of interest.
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