All our advocates are:

• Qualified to provide IMHA and IMCA statutory advocacy roles

• Fully Insured

• Criminal Records Bureau Checked (CRB) at the enhanced level

We strictly adhere to the requirements of the data protection legislation in the UK, in particular the Data Protection Act 1998.

The service principles

Independent – The service should be free from influence from the providers of healh and social care, and advocates should have no conflicts of interest.

Empowering – Advocates should always support the service user to be heard. This means that the first thing advocates need to do is listen. Advocates should then either support service users to speak for themselves, or (if the service user is not able to do this) represent the service user’s views as if they were their own. The ultimate goal of specialist advocacy should be to enable service users to grow toward advocating for themselves wherever possible.

Inclusive – The service should recognise the diversity of eligible service users and ensure no-one is prevented from accessing the service because of a difference in language, culture, disability or capacity.

Impartial – Advocates should not judge service users. When a service user is seriously mentally ill, an advocate may be the only person she/he sees who is not responsible for assessing, treating and monitoring his/her illness/condition. This means that advocates should listen to and hear the service user’s report as their and therefore valid

Confidential – All discussions between a service user and an advocate should be treated confidentially. Confidentiality should only be broken when a service user threatens harm to him/herself or others.