Citizen Advocacy

Citizen Advocacy is about helping people with a learning disability to speak up for what you want!

A Citizen Advocacy Partnership is an equal partnership between two people who live in the local community but who may never have met. 

A Citizen Advocacy Partner may find it hard to communicate to others what they want to say about their lives. A volunteer Citizen Advocate is a person who listens and cares about what their Citizen Advocacy Partner has to say. They also try to get others to listen too.

The relationship is freely given and the Citizen Advocate makes a commitment to represent their CA Partner’s interests and concerns as if they were their own.

Citizen Advocacy (or CA) enables people with learning disabilities to have a ‘voice’ in the decisions that affect their lives and take part in their community. It is one way of including and protecting vulnerable people. 

By building a friendship, sharing interests and supporting their CA Partner the Citizen Advocate will be able to ensure that the wishes and needs of their CA Partner are voiced and heard. By building trust and encouraging confidence a Citizen Advocate can promote independence and be there to share the good and bad times.

A Citizen Advocate is independent of services and family.

If you are interested in volunteering or know anyone who might be please ring 

Heather Smithson on 01606 42688 

or 

email: citizen.advocacy@independent-advocacy.org.uk

A Call To All Citizen Advocates

Values of Citizen Advocacy

To request Citizen Advocacy:

 - Request form

 - Information sheet for Citizen Advocacy request

To become a volunteer Citizen Advocate:

 - Application form

 - Information sheet for Citizen Advocacy application