Projects
Issue Specific Advocacy
Generic (Adult) 18 + years and Mental Health 16 + years who feel they need help with matters concerning their health and social care needs.
We can take the time to explore the individual’s options and look at alternatives and the consequences of making certain decisions. We can help the person to look realistically at those options, to avoid them having raised expectations of outcomes.
“Without IDVA’s our life would be much more difficult”.
Health Professional
As part of our work we work closely with the in-patient services at Parkwood and the Community Mental Health Teams – The Beeches and Derby House and various other organisations offering support to clients with mental health needs.
We offer support with:
Reviews, meetings or appointments - This may be a GP, hospital, dental or consultant appointment, attending a ward round, a social service review or meeting, or an occupational therapy home visit.
Case conferences, assessments and child protection meetings - It is important that the clients’ wishes, views or concerns are expressed appropriately and taken seriously. The advocate is able to discuss their situation beforehand to ensure that all relevant information is made available and the best possible outcome achieved.
Discharge from hospital which may mean moving into a care home - We work closely with staff, social workers, clients and their relatives / carers where appropriate to agree on the most appropriate course of action on being discharged from hospital. We are able to arrange care home accommodation for those who have to move into residential care or can offer support when they have to return to their own home. We also provide support when a care home closes or alternative accommodation is required.
Talking to family or professionals - Sometimes a client may find it difficult to speak up because they fear offending a member of their family or ‘going against their wishes’ or they may feel unwilling to or be intimidated by having to deal with ‘officials’.
Making a complaint – We are able to guide the client through the process, supporting them at each stage. Importantly we are also able to discuss the outcome and help them to look at any further options where necessary.
Signposting and practical support – We are able to provide relevant information and signpost people to appropriate services.
“An excellent service has been provided by the mental health advocate to several of my patients. The information and support has been first class and the advocate displayed an extremely knowledgeable, understanding approach to a very difficult client group.”
Health professional 2007
Independent Domestic Violence Advisors – Blackpool & Fylde IDVA Service
This advocacy provision aims to provide independent information and support to people who have experienced domestic abuse. This is a very emotive area of concern and we are pleased that funds have been dedicated to provide a specialist service working with individuals who have been assessed as being at high risk. The project now supports residents living in Blackpool and Fylde.
Advice is provided on their rights and options and information is given on the legal processes of the police and Criminal Justice System. Support at court hearings and help to understand what is happening is a vital element of this service as well as offering crisis intervention, risk assessment and safety planning. As emotional and practical support e.g. counselling, move to a refuge etc may be a required element of the support required, strong networks have been established within Blackpool and the wider community to enable access to other specialist services.
IDVA’s support client with a whole range of issues such as housing, benefits, child protection concerns, hospital appointments and is similar to the support provided under the Issue-Specific Advocacy information.
“Excellent and most valuable service.”
Social care professional 2007
Learning Disabilities
The White Paper ‘Valuing People’ made it clear that the views and wishes of people with learning disabilities must be taken into account when services are being commissioned, developed or evaluated. The need to involve service users in a proactive, positive, real way was recognised by the Blackpool Learning Disability Partnership Board in 2002.
Blackpool Advocacy was commissioned to recruit a support worker to develop and support a system of representation for approximately 500 people with learning disabilities in Blackpool. Building on existing links a democratic structure of key groups, self advocacy groups, committees and forums evolved. This ensures the involvement of people who use Blackpool Learning Disability services in the planning, development and delivery of their services. It seeks to do this in a person centered way which addresses the needs of people with a range of abilities.
The democratic structure culminates in a Service User Forum which draws representation from all of the committees. This forum in turn elects 2 members to sit on the Partnership Board. With the support of Blackpool Advocacy these representatives have full and equal membership of the Board which is the strategic body planning and accounting for learning disability services. They also sit on a variety of sub-committees. All of this has brought about personal growth for many as they come to terms with the realisation that they have a right to have a say and then develop the skills this requires.
Learning to speak for others has been a particular challenge but one which has been approached though training and consistent support. For the project to be successful it was realised that for service users to grow in confidence and become actively involved, appropriate support and training was required. At the request of the Service User Forum and ‘Listen to Me’ training group, the Partnership Board have regularly commissioned training from outside and internal agencies to include the development of committee skills, confidence building, self advocacy and the recruitment, selection and training of all levels of staff. Involvement in recruitment has ranged from individual support workers through to a new Head of Learning Disability services and a psychologist.
The Listen to Me drama group is a group of 10 adults with a learning disability who meet weekly with a local sensory drama tutor to plan prepare and deliver training. They are happy to present to ‘any’ group and their presentations take the theme of communication and person centred approaches. Their work has not gone unnoticed and following partnership work between Blackpool Learning Disability Partnership and Blackpool, Wyre and Fylde Hospital Trust they were joint winners in the Strategic Health Authority Achievement Awards in the category innovation in mental health and learning disabilities.
‘Garden of Life’ art project -The Listen to Me training group realise that not everyone feels confident to stand up in front of an audience and deliver a presentation, but what they all aspire to is that they be treated fairly. The group came up with the idea that if they expressed their feelings through art and displayed the pieces in a public place that they would be ‘training’ society to acknowledge that they have feelings but more importantly have skills and talents that others can benefit from and enjoy. The group worked with a local artist to produce nine pieces of expressive art using canvass, oil pastels and inks. Service users were encouraged to express their life experiences and how they want to be treated by the people they come into contact with. The canvasses were used by the Festival of Light in Blackpool who made them into an Art Cube which was lit from within and the canvasses are now being displayed in a number of public places.
You can learn more about learning disability services in Blackpool and view minutes of some of the meetings we facilitate by visiting www.bldpb.com
“I would like to express my gratitude for the help and support given to me and the service users at Cherry Tree House during the run up to the closure.”
Social care professional 2007
Children's Advocacy
We provide independent support to young people in the care of the local authority or in receipt of targeted services.
It can be difficult for young people to understand what is happening to them, to know their rights and to get their opinions taken seriously. We have a wealth of experience in engaging with young people and are very successful in supporting them through all types of situations. Client confidentiality is vital but the safety of the young person is paramount. In some cases where the safety of the child is at risk we work closely with the Children and Young People’s Department to ensure that crucial information is made available and appropriate steps taken to keep the young person safe. The advocate works with the child or young person to ensure that their wishes and opinions are considered at every stage.
An important part of the service is to advise those young people we work with of their rights and ensure they receive the support they are entitled to.
“Working together with IDVA’s means that victims of domestic violence are much more supported”.
Police 2008
Independent Visitor
The aim of this project is to provide an adult friend for needy and isolated children and young people who are currently in the care of the local authority either in foster care, in one of the local council run residential homes or in a privately run residential home, and the person with parental responsibility has made infrequent or no visits with them.
Independent Visitors (IV’s) play a vital role in befriending young people by taking a long‑term interest in their lives by being a positive adult role model. They are independent of the care system and are able to share concerns openly and give advice. IV’s find this role to be a truly satisfying and heartening experience and get just as much out of it as the young person themselves.
Volunteers must have the ability to empathize with children and young people and be of a caring, friendly and outgoing disposition. They will also need to work flexible hours (evenings or weekends for a couple of hours per fortnight or so) to suit the needs of the child or young person, possess good communication skills, good listening skills and be trustworthy and very reliable. Visits should take place approximately every two or three weeks with regular telephone contact in between.
