• Advocacy is about speaking up for oneself or on behalf of some one else according to their needs and wishes
• Advocacy is speaking for, or representing, someone's views in the way they would, if they could
• Advocacy is particularly important for people who are likely to be marginalised, excluded or discriminated against.

How an advocate can help

An advocate is there to protect your rights as a user of mental health services, and to support you in putting forward your point of view.

• You may not agree with professional decisions which are being made about you
• Getting the right kind of support can be confusing and frustrating
• You may be concerned about your rights and freedom if you approach services for help

Advocates can help in the following ways:

York Mind Advocacy

Advocacy is a free service provided by York & District Mind. It is independent - we are accountable to you, not to a hospital or community services.

Advocacy is confidential. We do not pass on information about you without your permission or discuss your situation with anyone else.

Advocates are not counsellors, social workers or mediators.

Advocates can be paid or unpaid, allies or peers with personal experience of similar issues. Advocacy relationships can be short term or long term. They can involve support for people in everyday living situations, as well as for people facing a major transition or important decision.

York Mind Advocacy Project aims to promote the values of unpaid, committed advocacy by training and supporting volunteer advocates.

The main focus of our work is enabling people who use mental health services to have their say in decisions about their health and social care, in hospital and community settings.

We have recently added a specialist inpatient advocacy service - a new post that is funded by Comic Relief.

As part of the UK Advocacy Network – the national network of user-led advocacy groups – we work to provide an independent, trustworthy support and representation service to adults with mental health issues in the York area.

Working with volunteer advocates

We recruit and train a small group of volunteers so that a diversity of people are available to act as advocates. Through offering high quality training and support, we offer volunteers the opportunity to gain experience in a challenging type of work. Volunteers are encouraged to take part in decisions about the project and contribute to training of new advocates.

interested in training as an advocate? Voluntary work with York Mind Advocacy gives further information.