What is Advocacy?

Advocacy is an independent service where an Advocate will help support you to understand decisions being made about you, know your rights and ensure your voice is heard.

Advocacy is free and Advocates are on your side and work with you!

Carrying out your own online research. 

To find out more about advocacy, please take a look at the following resources:

	You can explore the Advocacy for All website here.
	You can explore the NHS website here.
	You can read up on the Mental Health Act 1983 here and the Care Act 2014 here.

Adult advocacy services.

There are different kinds of advocacy services for different situations, and a breakdown of all of these can be found on our TfS partner, Advocacy for All's website here. Advocacy for All are our local provider for these services and you can find their contact details below.

Please note though, that some forms of advocacy are only available when a referral is made by a professional e.g. social worker, and so if you are unsure about anything, you can either ring Advocacy for All directly, or contact TfS and we will break down your next steps for you.

	Anyone looking for help, advice or support to do with advocacy in Sutton can speak directly with Advocacy for All on 0345 310 1812 – please press option 1 for referrals.
	You can email the Advocacy for All team here.
	You can explore their website here.

Children Looked After advocacy services. 

MAPS Advocacy provides independent Advocates for children and young people in Sutton involved in child protection proceedings, Children Looked After and Care Leavers.

MAPS Advocacy looks to empower children and young people found in these situations. Here an Advocate will look to help the young person to have their views heard by professionals who are making decisions about them. The advocacy relationship is confidential and is delivered by our TfS partners, Volunteer Centre Sutton. 

Please note though, that all referrals need to be made by a professional e.g. Childrens Social Services, and so if you are unsure about anything and you need support, you can either ring Volunteer Centre Sutton directly, or contact TfS and we will break down your next steps for you.

	Anyone looking for help, advice or support to do with children and young people's advocacy in Sutton can speak directly with the Volunteer Centre Sutton on 020 8661 5900.
	You can email the Volunteer Centre Sutton Advocacy team here.
	You can explore their website here.

Safeguarding an adult.

If you are worried about an older person, you can read about local policies here, or if needed, you can report this to Adult Social Services through their safeguarding online form here.

Safeguarding a child/young person.

If you are worried about a child/young person, you can read about local policies here, or if needed, you can report this to the Local Safeguarding Children Partnership in Sutton here.

MAPS Mentoring is an award-winning programme supporting children and young people to achieve their full potential through the support of a one-to-one volunteer adult role model. 

It looks to provide support to vulnerable children and young people who come from a variety of difficult and complex backgrounds, with challenging life circumstances, including poor mental health, low self-esteem, self-harming, violence and exploitation, and social disadvantage. 

To learn more about this service, please visit the Volunteer Centre Sutton MAPS website here.