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A MAP OF INDEPENDENT ADVOCACY ACROSS SCOTLAND

FORTH VALLEY ADVOCACY

NHS Forth Valley

There are three local authorities within Forth Valley NHS Boars area:
Clackmannanshire Council
Falkirk Council
Stirling Council

Advocacy Planning Process

The Forth Valley Advocacy Core Commissioning Group has disbanded. Mainstream advocacy provision and the 3-year action plan will be handed over to the strategic planning groups, who will incorporate them within their own plans, objectives and priorities. The Strategic Planning Groups involved represent: older people; mental health; children; physical disability; learning disability and a patient / public focus strategic planning group.

A representative from each of these groups will establish an umbrella group which will coordinate the overall development of Advocacy Services and ensure the best use of resources to coordinate the best practice across Forth Valley. Furthermore, as this is part of the remit of the Public/Patient Agenda, any subsequent learning from this approach will be shared across the network in Forth Valley to demonstrate an inclusive approach.

Advocacy Organisations in Forth Valley

Project details

• Independent
• Professional, Citizen and Crisis Advocacy
• Adults with learning disabilities
• Falkirk and Clackmannanshire Local Authority areas. Supporting people who have recently left the Royal Scottish National Hospital and are now living in the community.

Project details

• Independent
• Professional, Volunteer, Crisis, Collective
• Adults with a mental health disorder, with learning disabilities, older people
• Forth Valley region

Project details

• Independent
• Professional, Volunteer, Collective and Self-Advocacy
• Adults with learning disabilities (over 16 years of age)
• Stirling Local Authority area

Project details

• Independent
• Self-Advocacy Group
• People with learning disabilities
• Clackmannanshire

Total Local Statutory Funding in Forth Valley for Advocacy in 2003/4

Note: The amount for client groups cited above indicates specific provision, however generic advocacy provision tends to prioritise people with mental health problems, learning disability and other community care service users, so in real terms the amounts spent on these groups will be higher than indicated for the separate groups listed above.

Similarly, the amounts specified under the 'Advocacy Type' do not give an accurate figure as the proportion of organisational budgets did not give a break-down of how much money was allocated to each specific client group. Citizen Advocacy is provided through Advocacy into Action however it has not been possible for this Map to quantify that spend.

Gaps in Independent Advocacy

• People with a mental health disorder
• Vulnerable children and young people
• Carers
• Older people
• Homeless people and people affected by addictions
• People from ethnic minority communities
• People with physical disabilities
• For patients awaiting discharge

Priorities for Development

• The development of advocacy for people with a mental health disorder to meet the requirements of the Mental Health Care and Treatment (Scotland) Act 2003
• The development of advocacy provision for people effected by delayed discharge
• The development of a robust umbrella advocacy planning and implementation group which will reconsider priorities for the development of independent advocacy in the Forth Valley area
• To develop a strategy for education and awareness raising for general public and statutory service staff

Conclusions

The majority of independent advocacy in this region continues to be available for people with learning disabilities. Gaps remain in advocacy provision for all other care groups. This needs to be addressed.

Considered attention still needs to be given to the planning process to ensure that the advocacy needs in this area are met. Responsibility for advocacy planning and implementation has now been placed with the Strategic Planning Groups.

We hope that the planning for independent advocacy will be more effective if considered by the specific strategic planning group i.e. the Strategic Planning Group for Mental Health would consider independent advocacy provision with regards to the Mental Health Act.

Representatives of these groups have been asked to establish an umbrella advocacy planning and implementation group. It is essential that this happens to enable NHS Forth Valley to take forward the development of advocacy collectively with its Local Funding Partners. Also to provide a strategic overview which will enable independent advocacy to be developed in an equitable manner across the whole of NHS Forth Valley.

In this change process the new Forth Valley Advocacy Planning and Implementation Group needs to develop mechanisms to ensure that it involves service providers and users.

All funding partners need to ensure that three-year funding agreements are written into Service Level Agreements, albeit that funding is reviewed annually.

There is as yet no statutory commitment to independent evaluations.

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