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A MAP OF INDEPENDENT ADVOCACY ACROSS SCOTLAND

HIGHLAND ADVOCACY

Highland NHS Board

There is one local authority within Highland NHS Board area:

Highland Council

Advocacy Planning Process

The Advocacy Commissioning Group comprises of the lead commissioner from Highland NHS and its funding partner, Highland Council. All provision outlined below was commissioned following a lengthy planning period involving all the relevant stakeholders and a wider commissioning group. No permanent stakeholder planning/review group has yet been established, but a Highland Advocacy Reference Group will be formed in due course to ensure that the Independent Advocacy plan is adequately implemented and reviewed.

Education and housing representatives from the Council will also need to be involved in this process.

Advocacy Organisations in Highland

Project details

• Independent
• Professional and Volunteer Advocacy
• Generic: people of all ages with mental health problems or a learning disability, older people who are frail and people who are homeless
• Highland Region

* Assumes an annual inflationary rise of 3.75%

Project details

• Not independent (part of a range of supports offered to carers by the Highland Carers Project)
• Managed by Highland Community Care Forum
• Professional and Volunteer Advocacy
• Carers
• Highland Region

*Assumes an annual inflationary rise of 3.75%

Project details

• Not Independent (part of a range of supports offered to carers by the Highland Carers Project)
• Managed by Highland Community Care Forum
• Professional and Group Advocacy
• Carers and relatives of people with a learning disability who are affected by the closure of New Craigs Hospital
• Throughout Highland

* Assumes an annual inflationary rise of 3.75%

Project details

• Not independent (part of HUG's work to improve the rights, services and treatment of people with mental health problems)
• Supported by Highland Community Care Forum
• Collective Advocacy
• People with a mental health problem
• Highland Region

The Advocacy Project of HCCF, which encompasses HUG and People First, receives 78,463 from NHS Highland and Highland Council. Separate development funding for People First (from October 2003) is currently being negotiated.

Project details

• Not independent
• Managed by Enable
• Self-Advocacy
• Young people with a learning disability
• Highland Schools

Project details

• Not independent
• Managed by Enable
• Professional and Self-Advocacy
• People with learning disabilities
• New Craigs Hospital, Inverness and in the community

* Assumes an annual inflationary rise of 3.75%

Project details

• Not independent
• Managed by Highland Community Care Forum and affiliated to People First Scotland
• Collective and Self-Advocacy
• People with learning disabilities
• Highland (projects are located in Caithness, East Ross-shire, Inverness, Lochaber, Nairn, Skye)

The Advocacy Project of HCCF, which encompasses HUG and People First, receives 78,463 from NHS Highland and Highland Council. Separate development funding for People First (from October 2003) is currently being negotiated.

Total Statutory Funding for Highland Advocacy in 2003/4

These figures do not include SIPS or any other funding source.

Gaps in Independent Advocacy

• Gaps may be experienced in trying to meet the needs of both carers and individuals across a vast geographical area of the Highlands. Both the Highlands Carers Project and Advocacy Highland will be monitored regularly so that early indications of any gaps can be picked up
• There is no citizen advocacy in the Highlands
• Vulnerable children and young people (other than those with a mental health problem or learning disability)
• People from ethnic minority communities
• People with physical disabilities

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
• As a relatively new project, Advocacy Highland continues to need support from its funding partners to ensure that it can provide a Highland-wide generic independent advocacy service.

Conclusions

Highland NHS Board, in partnership with Highland Council, has considerably progressed the development of advocacy across the Highlands. All advocacy provision is funded jointly. Advocacy Highland has great potential to develop as a generic independent advocacy service across Highland. It makes good sense that the Commissioners build on the capacity of the existing organisations in this rural setting.

The Mental Health Advocacy Project managed by the Inverness CAB is no longer operational. The Commissioning Group is now working on a new proposal to meet the independent advocacy needs of people with a mental health disorder.

The independent status of many of the advocacy organisations still remains an issue. Some further consideration has to be given to this.

There remains a commitment to carry out evaluations of the advocacy provision and to educate and raise awareness about advocacy for statutory service staff. The Scottish Independent Advocacy Alliance has recently provided training for the staff of New Craigs Hospital.

The issue of education and awareness raising about independent advocacy for the general public and potential users remains to be resolved. This is being discussed with Advocacy Highland at present.

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