What is individual advocacy?

In Scotland, everyone experiencing a mental health issue has the right to access independent advocacy.

Sometimes it can feel hard to speak up or explain everything you want to say.

It can be hard to take in lots of complicated information in meetings. You may feel overwhelmed, rushed or not listened to.

Independent advocacy can help. Our advocacy workers can support you to:

• Prepare for and attend meetings.
• Have your say.
• Get the information you need to help you make your own choices and understand your options.

I felt listened to more with CAPS helping out – I wasn't listened to before by Social Work.

Person using our services

[Independent Advocacy] helped me to say if there was something I wasn't happy about.

Young person using our services

I don't know what I'd have done without [my advocacy worker] – he makes sure I'm up to speed and that I understand things.

Person using our services

It was about having someone in my corner, especially when talking to doctors.

Person using our services

Transcript of the film on this page:

You filming?
Yeah.
Okay.

Hi, I’m Malin.
I’m part of the adult individual advocacy team at CAPS.

Everyone can find it hard sometimes to speak up.

Advocacy is about knowing your rights getting the information you need, and helping you to have your say.

In the adult team, we help our advocacy partners in a variety of different contexts.

We commonly see issues like people who want support in looking into housing options and supporting advocacy partners, in going to their GP, to ask for help with health care.

We also support advocacy partners with more statutory work and that could involve coming along to adult support and protection case conferences with you making sure you know your rights.

And we also support people who have been detained under the Mental Health Act at the Royal Edinburgh.

We also support children and young people who are experiencing an eating disorder both in the community and in hospital and children and young people experiencing the Children’s Hearings system.

It’s happening?

Oh it’s happening. It’s happening!

If you’d like to access individual advocacy from CAPS Independent Advocacy, you can get in touch with us by email, by phone and through our website.