Lanarkshire Advocacy Plan 2020 - 2025
| Title | Lanarkshire Advocacy Plan 2020 - 2025 |
|---|---|
| Council Resource | Social Work |
| Aims and Objectives | Independent Advocacy – A Guide for Commissioners (2013), aims to capture the many developments since the publication of the original Guide to Commissioners in 2001 (Scottish Executive Health Department) and the subsequent revision and publication by the Scottish Independent Advocacy Alliance (SIAA) in 2010. Importantly it seeks to clarify Commissioners statutory responsibilities under the Mental Health (Care & Treatment) (Scotland) Act 2003. The Scottish Government’s expectation, set out in Independent Advocacy: Guide for Commissioners, published in December 2013, is that local strategic advocacy plans should be developed. This is the third Advocacy Plan, a partnership plan between North and South Lanarkshire Councils, North and South Health and Social Care Partnerships, NHS Lanarkshire, and our Advocacy Providers setting out the context in which Advocacy Services operate and support supports people to have their voices heard and their rights and interests protected. Independent advocacy is a positive force in influencing social change, with the work and ethos of advocacy underpinned by a person-focused and human rights framework. The importance and benefits of independent advocacy are now widely recognised and woven into the fabric of health and social care provision in Scotland. |
| Conclusion | Key features of effective advocacy include: independence from services; empowerment; providing people who access support with a voice; supporting people who access support to achieve active citizenship, challenging inequality, promoting social justice, and supporting people who access support to challenge inequity and unfairness. Advocacy is about equity, social inclusion, participation and human rights. All values that resonate for people who lack capacity, and who are often more vulnerable than other members of our communities. The Lanarkshire Advocacy Plan 2020 - 2025 embraces these key features, and acts as a useful guide for all those who support our most vulnerable citizens. |
| Completion date | 2022/2023 |
| Contact Email address | equalities@southlanarkshire.gov.uk |