Highland Community Care Forum - Annual Review 2004

Promoting Independent Advocacy

Advocacy is the process where one person speaks on behalf of another, individually or collectively. Independent advocacy is about giving people the power and the voice to state their own case.

Local Forums

forum workers support People First and HUG groups to help them to speak out for themselves
Lochaber surveyed people’s opinions and needs in Spean Bridge
local workers helped people with learning disabilities contribute to Local Implementation Groups
individuals offered the opportunity to give feedback on their experiences of Single Shared Assessment in East Ross
East Ross involved in gathering service user views for best value review on Occupational Therapy
East Sutherland involved in setting up a Wheelchair Users Group and planning Day Care Facility in Lairg
Skye Young Carers Project provided advocacy for Young Carers in Skye
local forum worker in Gairloch provided advocacy for local people and negotiated successful outcomes

Highland Users Group

3 HUG members are directors of Advocacy Highland
HUG member involved in the Scottish Informal Network which is trying to set up a national user group
contributed to the Development Plan for advocacy services in the Highlands
participated in the Advisory Group of the Advocacy Safeguards Agency
produced reports on out-of-hours services, the stigma of mental illness and creating a strong voice for HUG: these were widely read and the need for out-of-hours services is now acknowledged across Highland
produced video on acute care for National Acute Care Conference

Highland Carers Project

68 new carers had advocacy support for 111 issues
led workshop on carers advocacy at PRT National Conference for managers and trustees
led workshop challenging definitions of ‘independence’ and promoting models which take account of rural communities, at Scottish Annual Advocacy Conference
carers advocacy service continued to support carers to take up issues individually, successes include: service charges reassessed, improved packages of services, respite care provided, essential equipment installed in carers’ homes
increasing number of requests for advocacy in special educational needs situations
delivered three introductory advocacy training programmes for volunteers
Advocacy Development Worker participated in an Advocacy Safeguards Agency evaluation team
Carers Project has been asked to present training on carers’ advocacy outwith Highland

People First

alerted the Minister for Health regarding problems with funding for those still awaiting re-homing from New Craigs Hospital
writing to Social Work about the use of Change Fund money to implement ‘The Same as You?’ resulted in improved communication and information sharing
met the Disability Reporter to the Equal Opportunities Committee of the Scottish Executive about issues highlighted in implementing The Same as You? - members views were incorporated in the subsequent report to the Committee
members who have been giving talks to Inverness school children on bullying attended the Scottish Consortium for Learning Disability Leadership course and began work on a training course to communicate their skills to other people with a learning disability

HCCF has influenced the national debate on independent advocacy. We believe our own approach demonstrates that activities which complement and support advocacy can offer users and carers a better service because they can access multiple channels of communication.

Annual Review 2004
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Annual Report 2004

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