Family Carer Advocacy Resource
Information and guidance for family carers who advocate for their relative
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What actions need to be taken?
1. Ensure that people with a learning disability who are detained in inpatient units have access to skilled advocates
The NHS-commissioned Review of Advocacy highlighted that access to skilled, independent advocacy for people in inpatient units is inconsistent and in many cases unavailable. Among the issues highlighted were that children and young people were in many cases not covered by the advocacy contracts that local authorities had purchased, and that local authorities were unclear on their responsibilities in this area.
The Government needs to:
Respond to the recommendations of the Review of Advocacy, and set out an action plan for what actions they intend to take on these
The Department of Health and Social Care needs to:
Write to all a) ICBs and b) local authorities and ask them to clarify their funding arrangements for advocacy – they must ensure that advocacy is commissioned for children and young people as well as adults
Engage with the Department for Education on the proposed new standard for non-instructed advocacy that is currently being developed, and promote this
2. Introduce a national advocacy strategy and task force to plan and action required changes
The issues highlighted in the Review of Advocacy show that there are serious issues with advocacy for children, young people and adults in inpatient settings, but people with a learning disability and families have raised that advocacy in other areas is also frequently inadequate. This occurs throughout different parts of the system – education, health, social care, housing – and requires a cross-governmental solution.
The Government needs to:
Introduce a multi-agency taskforce, including people with a learning disability, autistic people and family carers, to oversee the development of a national advocacy strategy and monitor its implementation
We have worked to co-produce these actions and asks, building on years of work that has gone before it. We are happy to engage with policy makers at a local, regional, and national level about how we can get things right for people with a learning disability whose behaviour challenges. If you would like to talk about any of the actions in this plan, or any work you are planning on doing, please email actionplan@thecbf.org.uk
