« Previous | Contents | Next »
Listen
Effective Interventions Unit: Advocacy for Drug Users: A Guide
Chapter 4: Advocacy services for young people
The Guide to
'Services for Young People with problematic drug misuse' (EIU 2003) identifies the role of DAATs in working to ensure that services uphold children's rights. Advocacy can help uphold the rights of children and young people experiencing problems due to their own substance misuse by supporting them to say what they think and how they feel, encouraging them to be involved in decisions about their lives and by helping them to be heard. Advocacy can also help ensure young people receive the services they need and are entitled to.
Evidence / Information Children's rights are about: "Being treated as an individual in [their] own right. To have their opinions heard and respected regardless of age. To be kept informed about all decisions relating to them within their capacity of understanding. To have an advocate act for them"
(Service Provider, Yorkhill Advocacy Research Project, August 2002). |
How advocacy can help young people
Young people who are misusing drugs may also experience a number of other problems, including: disrupted education, behavioural disorders, criminal behaviour, family breakdown or dispute, and physical and psychological harm.
Often, for these young people, substance misuse is only one of a number of risk-taking behaviours they are engaged in. Young people may need to access a wide range of specialist and generic services. Advocacy can help to ensure that young people are able to access the services they need.
A research project aiming to inform the development of independent advocacy for children and young people in Glasgow (Advocacy Project: Children should be seen and HEARD! Marjorie Gillies, August 2002) found that: children and young people may not recognise that they need the support of an advocate. Nevertheless, those who participated in the research cited instances when an advocate might have empowered them to say what they wanted or to understand information they were given.
For more information and a copy of the report contact Marjorie Gillies, 0141 201 9354 or Marjorie.
gillies@yorkhill.scot.nhs.uk.
The Advocacy Safeguards Agency also conducted a national research study during the summer of 2003 looking at advocacy for children and young people in Scotland. Key findings from the research suggest that young people need advocacy in situations where they feel particularly vulnerable. These situations include: school exclusions; bullying; contact with the police, social workers and the Children's Hearing system; homelessness; using hospital services; for some within their local communities and during transition to college or workplace.
For a copy of the report contact David Cameron on 0131 524 9380 or go to
www.advocacysafeguards.org.
In addition, the young people who participated in the research highlighted the following points as key aspects of advocacy services:
Young people found the word advocacy '
off putting' and preferred terms like 'sticking up for you' and 'someone who's on your side'.
It was more important to young people that an advocate is a
good listener, patient, trustworthy and loyal, than whether or not they were independent.
Many of the young people thought they would be able to relate better to a younger advocate - especially someone who has been through
similar experiences. However, some felt an older person may be more
confident and assertive.
Young people wanted an advocate who is '
clued up' and who 'knows their way round the system'. They also wanted an advocate who is open-minded.
Young people wanted to be reassured that what they discuss with the advocate would remain
confidential, although most said they would not mind their parents knowing they are seeing an advocate.
Information / Example Fife's Children's Rights Service is in the process of developing a Children's Rights Strategy. The strategy will comprise four key elements, including: Children's rights advice, information and associated support (including training and awareness raising strategies) Children's participation Advocacy Representation and assistance (including legal and non-legal forms), monitoring and proofing activity.
In order to ensure the needs for advocacy of vulnerable children and young people are met Fife's Advocacy Strategy Group (jointly co-ordinated by NHS Fife, Social Work and Barnardo's) are funding an Advocacy Development Worker that will be based within Fife's Children's Rights service. For more information contact
Peter Nield, Fife's Children's Rights Co-ordinator, 01592 265294 Children's Rights Officer Aberdeenshire Council has a Children's Rights Officer that works jointly with Social Work and Education services. The role of the Children's Rights Officer is to make sure children and young people know about their rights, and are listened to and treated fairly. The officer ensures that young people placed away from home have access to an independent person as part of an overall strategy to ensure their safety and access to appropriate services. The Children's Rights Officer provides young people with information and advice about their rights; helps young people to represent their views at meetings; listens to and takes seriously what young people say; and helps young people put forward their views about services. The service is aimed at children and young people who have been placed away from home by Social Work or Education services, and young people who have moved on from care, including those with special needs. For more information go to:
www.aberdeenshire.gov.uk/web/children.nsf/html |
Advocacy services for children and young people in Scotland
The mapping of advocacy services in Scotland conducted by the Advocacy Safeguard Agency in 2003/4 revealed the following services for children and young people:
Who Cares? Scotland provides advocacy for children and young people in care in all but three local authorities throughout Scotland
North Ayr and Drumchapel in Glasgow have developed
generic children's advocacy and rights projects funded through Social Inclusion Partnerships
There is one independent
anti-bullying advocacy project for children and their parents
Many
voluntary sector children's services provide advocacy on an ad hoc basis to their clients
There is only
one independent advocacy organisation for children and young people in Scotland
summary |
Advocacy can help uphold the
rights of children and young people experiencing problems due to their own drug misuse. Young people need advocacy in situations where they feel
particularly vulnerable, e.g. school exclusion, contact with the police and social work, bullying. Young people find the term advocacy '
off putting'. Young people want their advocate to be '
clued up'.
|
« Previous | Contents | Next »