Advocacy What is Advocacy For our purposes acting

Advocacy

What is Advocacy? • For our purposes, ‘acting to secure the rights of an individual – be it ourselves or on behalf of someone else’. • Supporting and encouraging the people we support to exercise their rights and personal preferences without compromising their safety and that of others. (remember duty of care vs dignity of risk? ) • Our customers advocate for themselves. • By the nature of our work, we are always advocating for the people we support.

Systematic Advocacy: Known as Systemic Advocacy in Australia

Self-Advocacy The ability to be assertive, stand up for yourself and what is important to you is called self-advocacy. It enables you to express your needs and communicate with people concerning your thoughts and feelings. It also enables you to make choices and decisions that influence your life, and to know your rights and responsibilities. The objective of self-advocacy is that you make your own plan; you decide what you want and how to get it.

Self Advocacy (cont’d) • For people with greater decision-making capability, self-advocacy can extend to planning and managing their entire life, including dealing with agencies and systems that try to – or unwittingly – deny them their rights. https: //www. youtube. com/watch? v=Hnm. Gg. Gj. Ohv. Y https: //www. youtube. com/watch? v=Rux. Fk. Hi. MSe. E&index=2&list=PLrjs. Eo zi. Qm. WSJbk. Tp 28 wys 7 MWLBv. Bc. VXH

Individual Advocacy • As support workers we advocate on behalf of the people we support everyday. • We do things to support our customers reach their goals and achieve their rights. • When we do this, it is individual advocacy. https: //www. youtube. com/watch? v=x. BQf. Ykq. Lao. Q&list=PLrjs. Eozi. Qm WSJbk. Tp 28 wys 7 MWLBv. Bc. VXH&index=4

Systemic Advocacy • Systemic advocacy is when you work to fix a problem that affects a lot of people. • As a CSW you might advocate for a change in Cara’s processes and systems, but widespread change to systems is not in your job description. https: //www. youtube. com/watch? v=1 zh. A 1 f. R 1 Yo 0&index=7&list=PLrjs Eozi. Qm. WSJbk. Tp 28 wys 7 MWLBv. Bc. VXH

Referral • There will be times where you won’t have the time, energy, skills or expertise to help your customer who has been discriminated against. • When this happens, the best thing to do is to seek permission from your customer or their guardian to contact a disability advocacy agency. • NDAP services are the most appropriate person or service to assist to maximise outcomes for the person you are supporting.

Horses for Courses… • Different agencies have different service models and different service regions. Know where yours are located: (they will mostly come to you) Disability Advocacy and Complaints Service SA (DACSSA): 33 Franklin St, Adelaide, 5000 Ph: 7122 6030 www. dacssa. org. au admin@dacssa. org. au Adelaide metropolitan area + regional SA via phone or skype

Horses for Courses… Advocacy for Disability Access and Inclusion (ADAI): 149 Currie St, Adelaide 5000 advocacyfordisability. org. au Specialises in family advocacy and NDIS appeals. Adelaide metro Brain Injury SA 70 Light Square, Adelaide 5000 Ph 8217 7600 braininjurysa. org. au Brain injury + NDIS appeals

Disability Rights Advocacy Service 4/80 Henley Beach Road (in Dew St) Mile End, SA, 5011 Ph 8351 9500 admin@dras. com. au www. dras. com. au All metro areas up through Adelaide Hills (& Murray Bridge by arrangement) Riverland South East and Murraylands Individual advocacy, Systemic advocacy, NDIS Appeals. *Special expertise with people for whom English is a second language

Guest Speakers Disability rights Advocacy Service Moss Politis, CEO

Not just finding possible in Cara, but making possible through advocacy