What do advocates do?
There are some things that advocates can do and some that they cannot, or are not allowed to do. This can be due to regulations, or simply due to the experience the advocate has.
They can...
- listen and give information
- encourage the client to speak on their own behalf
- liase with different agencies
- mediate so people can understand each other
- represent or act on behalf of someone
They cannot...
- offer counselling
- do what they think is best
- advise someone on what choice to make
- make decisions for people
- offer legal representation (unless they are legal advocates)
How do I complain about an advocate?
Advocacy services are not regulated and some advocacy projects are better than others. If you are not happy with the work of an advocate you can request a change. This may not always be possible, especially in services where there is only one advocate.
If you wish to complain about an advocate or an advocacy service you should ask for a copy of their complaints procedure. If you do not want to, or cannot ask for this, you could contact the head office for that organisation or ask someone else to get you a copy.
For more information please see our Advocacy (149 kb) ![[pdf]](http://www.rethink.org/display_images/document_icons/pdf.gif)
factsheet, or contact our Advice and Information Service directly on 0300 5000 927 between 10am-1pm, Mon - Fri.
You can also email them on advice@rethink.org.
