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Advocacy

Easy Read version available

What is Advocacy?

Advocacy means getting support when you’re finding it difficult to stand up for your own rights, make your wishes known or your voice heard. 

Having the help of an advocate can be particularly helpful when organisations (such as the NHS or housing providers) are making decisions that are going to impact on you. 

A video explaining what advocacy is, produced by the advocacy service VoiceAbility, can be found on YouTube.

An advocate can:

  • Help you to think through your concerns
  • Support you in assessing all of your options
  • Make sure you understand information
  • Attend meetings alongside you to provide support

An advocate should not:

  • Make decisions for you
  • Judge you
  • Give you their personal opinion on your choices

An advocate can be:

  • From a professional advocacy service
  • A family member or friend

The Scottish Independent Advocacy Alliance has developed a map of the advocacy services across Scotland.

Some Easy Read information from the advocacy service VoiceAbility can be found below:

A table with examples of appropriate language use
A table showing the notification periods for the various sentence types. Prison sentence of 30 months or more (including life), Indefinite. Order for lifelong restriction, Indefinite. Admission to a hospital subject to a restriction order, Indefinite. Prison sentence of more than 6 months but less than 30 months, 10 years. Prison sentence of 6 months or less, 7 years. Admission to a hospital without a restriction order, 7 years. Community payback order with an offender supervision requirement, The length of the offender supervision requirement. Any other sentence (e.g. a fine or admonition), 5 years.
Last updated:
September 3, 2024
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