We are very pleased to have received new funding from the Henry Smith Foundation from April 2026, to provide independent individual advocacy to young people aged 14-25 who identify as LGBTQIA+. This expands our existing service for adults 18+.
Find out about eligibility for these services below:
LGBTQIA+ young people may find it difficult to be heard in a range of situations. This community of people still experience significant prejudice in Scotland. LGBT Youth Scotland’s 2022 report, Life in Scotland for LGBT Young People, found that ‘the vast majority of participants believe that homophobia, biphobia, and transphobia are a problem, both across Scotland as a whole, and in their local area’. In some situations this prejudice and discrimination might mean that services don’t listen to LGBTQIA+ young people as much as they should. For example, in areas such as school or health. And professionals may not treat young LGBTQIA+ people with the respect they deserve.
Individual Advocacy can help
If you identify as LGBTQIA+ you may feel that services don’t always listen to you. You may feel that they don’t understand you or treat you fairly because of your identity. This is where advocacy can help. An individual advocacy worker is there to be by your side to support you to say how you feel and what you want to happen. They can help you to have a stronger voice with other services.
Our advocacy workers can support you to:
- Prepare for and attend meetings
- Have your say
- Get information you need to help you make your own choices and understand your options
Independence
Independent Advocacy is about addressing power imbalances. People can often be lacking in power when faced with systems that provide the services that they need. An advocacy worker helps people stand up to services. They’re independent which means they only work for you. They don’t follow anyone else’s agenda so they’re free to just be on your side.
Someone receiving Independent Individual Advocacy from CAPS explains:
“When [my advocacy worker] started working with me people started to treat me with a bit more respect.”
An advocacy worker can also help you to find information and understand what your rights and options are. Independent Advocacy is free and confidential.
“[My advocacy worker] kept me updated throughout the process. [Advocacy worker] was very knowledgeable and told me all about my rights, there were lots of things I didn’t know about before I met [advocacy worker].”
“I found [advocacy worker] very easy to talk to. They made sure we were in a private place and that no-one was listening.”
Changes to our services for people with mental health issues
Our Individual Advocacy service for people with mental health issues has also changed slightly. We’re now providing Individual Advocacy to people with mental health issues in East Lothian from age 16. The service in Midlothian has not changed, it still starts from age 18. Find out more about our Individual Advocacy service for people with mental health issues.