Support from an advocate

What is an advocate?

Advocacy means having someone express a person's views and wishes, secure their rights, and represent their interests. It safeguards a person experiencing vulnerability or a disability by having an advocate speak and act on their behalf. Advocacy can enable a tenant to access support, make decisions, and secure their rights.

Advocates act only according to the wishes of the person they are speaking with or for and are completely independent of housing or property services. Some types of advocacy are statutory, which means they must be provided in certain circumstances, while others are non-statutory.

An advocate is a different status from an ordinary or lasting power of attorney. Please see the government guidance for permissions in these instances.

An advocate may be needed where a tenant has difficulty:

understanding relevant information

retaining information

using or weighing that information as part of the process of being involved

communicating their views, wishes or feelings (whether by talking, using sign language, or any other means)

Types and examples of advocates can include:

Professional statutory – advocacy required by law (e.g. under Independent Care and Independent Support (ICSA), Mental Capacity (IMCA) or Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DOLS))

Professional non-statutory (e.g. support worker, legal advice caseworker)

Non-professional (e.g. friend or family)