Contact Us

01305 251033

[email protected]

 How many people work for Dorset Advocacy?

Thirty people work for Dorset Advocacy; five of them are people with learning disabilities.

What training and support do advocates receive?

All members of our Independent Mental Capacity Advocacy (IMCA) team have completed or are completing the National Advocacy Qualification, accredited by City and Guilds. All our volunteer advocates complete an induction based on our Advocate Handbook and undergo further training in their first year with the scheme.

 All volunteers and staff have Criminal Records Bureau checks to enhanced level.

 How long does it take to get an advocate?

We will talk to you to find out if we can help. If we think that we can, and your problem is urgent, we will try to find an advocate as soon as possible (usually within a couple of weeks). If you need a long-term volunteer advocate you could wait longer, possibly several months , as we will need to match a suitable advocate to you.

How often will someone see their advocate?

This varies, but on average people see their advocate between once a fortnight and once a month.

How does an advocate help?

An advocate helps by listening to someone describing problems they are having. The advocate will try to find out how the problem came about. They may offer ideas on how the problem could be solved, but they do not give advice. It is the person who decides how they want their advocate to speak up for them. Advocacy helps people to be independent, confident, and in control.

Some people are not able to tell their advocate what they want, because they lack what the law calls ‘mental capacity’. In these situations, the advocate will still find out as much as they can from the person, but will also speak with others who know them well. The advocate will try to ensure that everyone supporting the person acts in their best interests.

What do we mean by ‘Independent’?

Dorset Advocacy provides independent advocacy in accordance with the terms of the national Advocacy Charter.  This means that you can be sure that your advocate has no connection with any of the agencies to whom they are voicing your wishes, needs and rights.  Your advocate can focus on speaking up for you and for you alone.

To see the National Advocacy Charter in full, click here

Like most independent advocacy schemes, we receive funding from a range of sources, including the local authorities and National Health Service.  In accepting this funding, we make clear to all of these agencies that they cannot direct or control the work that we do.  Our ‘Working with Advocacy’ document forms a part of all our funding contracts; it sets out the standards that both we and our funders must meet to ensure that advocacy is readily available, and as free as possible from conflicts of interest.

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