What is Self-Advocacy?

Self-advocacy is the act of speaking up for yourself and your interests. It involves communicating your needs and desires effectively. People who self-advocate tend to thrive in education, work, and life. These skills can be learned at any age and include:

• Speaking up for yourself
• Staying informed
• Knowing your rights
• Finding support
• Problem solving
• Self-determination, agency, and autonomy
• Asking for help

Benefits of Self-Advocacy

Self-advocacy brings numerous benefits that enhance personal, professional, and social well-being. Here are some key advantages:

1. Improved Self-Esteem:
   • Speaking up for yourself boosts confidence and self-worth.
   • Helps you recognize and value your strengths and abilities.
2. Enhanced Communication Skills:
   • Develops the ability to express your needs and desires clearly.
   • Improves interactions with others, including professionals and peers.
3. Greater Independence:
   • Empowers you to make decisions and take control of your life.
   • Reduces reliance on others for making important choices.
4. Better Problem-Solving:
   • Encourages critical thinking and finding solutions to challenges.
   • Promotes resilience in overcoming obstacles.
5. Increased Knowledge and Awareness:
   • Keeps you informed about your rights and available resources.
   • Enhances understanding of your own needs and how to meet them.
6. Stronger Sense of Belonging:
   • Fosters a sense of community and connection with others.
   • Promotes inclusion and acceptance in various environments.
7. Enhanced Well-Being:
   • Leads to better mental and emotional health.
   • Supports physical well-being by ensuring your needs are met.
8. Greater Success in Education and Work:
   • Enables you to advocate for necessary accommodations and support.
   • Improves your ability to achieve academic and professional goals.
9. Empowerment and Self-Determination:
   • Encourages taking charge of your life and making informed choices.
   • Strengthens your sense of agency and autonomy.
10. Better Relationships:
    • Builds stronger, more respectful relationships with others.
    • Helps others understand and support your needs effectively.

By developing self-advocacy skills, you can lead a more fulfilling and independent life, achieving your goals and enjoying a higher quality of life.

Understanding Yourself

Learning self-advocacy skills is essential for everyone. It enhances self-esteem, encourages creative problem solving, and fosters a sense of belonging. Self-advocacy begins with understanding yourself, including your values, needs, and rights, and being aware of the support and resources available to you.

Questions to Understand Yourself:

• What are my values?
• What matters most to me and why?
• What are my particular needs to accomplish my tasks or responsibilities?
• What do I need to feel respected and maintain my well-being?
• What are my strengths and areas for growth?

Please download All About Me toolkit to explore your needs and strengths

Self-Advocacy Tools

The Self-Advocacy Toolkit helps you speak up for yourself, ensuring your views and needs are heard. It assists in making plans for meetings, important phone calls, and communicating effectively with professionals about your wishes. The toolkit can help:

• Plan what you want to say in meetings about you or the services you receive.
• Prepare for important phone calls to ensure your views are clearly heard.
• Communicate your views and wishes to professionals.
• Make complaints to address issues and improve services.

Consultations about your care or support

If you are receiving and seeking to receive care and support you are likely to be consulted. Consulting is when you and those who support you agree on a plan of action. This is essential for receiving the best care or services. The Local Authority or NHS services should consult with you about your care. When consulting, you may follow these steps:

Step 1: Identify Your Goals

• What must you get?
• What would you like to get?
• What is your main goal?
• What would you settle for?
• What would you not settle for?

Step 2: Gather Information

• What information do you need for consulting?
• What information will they need from you?
• Are you aware of any information they might have?
• Could the information change the consulting process, e.g., funding?

Step 3: Consider Key Points

• What allowances could you make to get a good result?
• What allowances could you ask them to make?
• Do you need advice, e.g., from Citizens Advice Bureau?
• Where would you feel most comfortable discussing your care or support?
• Would you need someone with you during these discussions? If so, who?

Step 4: Use the Toolkit

• Choose which parts of the toolkit can help you.
• If needed, ask someone you trust to help you fill it in.
• Use different parts of the toolkit for various tasks, such as the Phone Call Planner for planning phone calls.

This guide aims to equip you with the necessary tools and strategies for effective self-advocacy, ensuring your voice is heard and your needs are met.

Meeting Planner

Our meeting planner resource will help you prepare for an important meeting

Download

Phone call planner

Our phone call planner resource will help you to plan for an important phone call

Download

Asking for help

This resource will help you to convey important information is a situation where you might find it difficult to speak up for yourself

Download

Other sources of support

Benefits

• Universal Credit
• Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)
• Personal Independence Payment (PIP)
• Disability Living Allowance (DLA)

Please refer to Citizens Advice https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/

Refer to Benefits and Work charity with excellent guides for claimants: https://www.benefitsandwork.co.uk/

Disability Rights UK covers all benefits and circumstances and has a link to local advice centres https://www.disabilityrightsuk.org/disability-or-long-term-health-condition

You could also research local to you organisations who advise in housing needs.

Housing or homelessness

Please refer to Shelter https://england.shelter.org.uk/housing_advice

You could also research local to you organisations who advise in housing needs.

Debt support

StepChange Charity https://www.stepchange.org/how-we-help/debt-advice.aspx

National Debt Line charity https://nationaldebtline.org/

Citizens Advice https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/

Advocacy support

Contact social care services at your local council and ask about advocacy services. Find your local social care services.

POhWER is a charity that helps people to be involved in decisions being made about their care. Call POhWER’s support centre on 0300 456 2370 for advice. Website: https://www.pohwer.net/

The Advocacy People gives advocacy support. Call 0330 440 9000 for advice or text PEOPLE to 80800 and someone will get back to you. Website:  https://www.theadvocacypeople.org.uk/

VoiceAbility gives advocacy support. Call their helpline on 0300 303 1660 for advice or use VoiceAbility’s online referral form. Website: https://www.voiceability.org/

Contact your local Age UK to see if they have advocates in your area. Visit Age UK online or call 0800 055 6112. Website: https://www.ageuk.org.uk/

Education support

IPSEA https://www.ipsea.org.uk/

SOS!SEN https://sossen.org.uk/

SENDIASS in your local area

Ethnic minorities and racialised communities

A2ndvoice

Autism Voice

Young people

Spectrum Gaming https://www.spectrumgaming.net/about-us

LGBTQIA+

The Clare Project https://clareproject.org.uk/

AutAngel Queer group online https://www.autangel.org.uk/community/#ourgroups

Alcohol misuse

Alcoholics Anonymous (AA)

Autism friendly AA Facebook group https://www.facebook.com/groups/462197725011850/

AA London ND group https://aa-london.com/update/aa-dhd-and-neurodiversity-183000-f2f-79234/

Drug addiction

NHS site with links to other services https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/addiction-support/drug-addiction-getting-help/