Advocacy & Inclusion Ireland HERE
How to access an Inclusion Ireland Advocate HERE
Types of Advocacy HERE
Recent Advocacy Developments HERE
Previous Inclusion Ireland Advocacy Projects HERE
Links HERE
News HERE
Advocacy & Inclusion Ireland:
Every person with an intellectual disability has the right to have their voice heard. Advocacy is about having your voice heard. Put simply, advocacy is about speaking up. The word comes from the Latin advocare - meaning to call.
In practical terms, advocacy can be defined as:
Taking action to enable people to express what they want, secure their rights, represent their interests, and obtain services they need. Advocates and advocacy services work in partnership with the people they support and take their side. Advocacy promotes social inclusion, equality, and social justice
The types of advocacy that are supported by Inclusion Ireland are described below.
How to access an Inclusion Ireland Advocate:
Please telephone 01 8559891 or email info@inclusionireland.ie
All enquiries are treated in the strictest confidence
Types of Advocacy:
Public Policy Advocacy -
Inclusion Ireland campaigns for changes to laws, policies and services in respect of people with an intellectual disability. We do this by making submissions to government and public bodies; making public statements on issues affecting people with an intellectual disability; participating on working groups and committees; organising campaigns; and generally speaking out on behalf of people with an intellectual disability. This is called public policy advocacy and you can keep up to date with our public policy advocacy in our news section.
Representative Advocacy -
Representative advocacy is when a paid advocate provides an individual with support to have their voice heard in respect of a particular issue. This is sometimes also called professional or independent advocacy. Inclusion Ireland employs a number of advocates. All of our advocates are independent. Our advocates are based in our central office in Dublin.
Self Advocacy -
Self advocacy is when a person speaks up for themselves. This can be done alone or as part of a group. Self advocacy is not something that is provided. Inclusion Ireland supports Self Advocacy in a number of ways. We provide information on self advocacy and rights. We also facilitate a number of self advocacy groups.
Parent Advocacy -
Parent advocacy is about parents acting as advocates for their children. Inclusion Ireland recognises the role of parents in this regard and provides information, advice and support to parents to be effective advocates for their children. We also provide support and training to parents who participate on the parent speaking panels and HSE Consultative Committees. We encourage disability service providers to have elected parent representatives on their Boards. A number of parents and friends associations are members of Inclusion Ireland
Peer Advocacy -
Peer advocacy is when a person with a shared experience supports another person to have their voice heard. Inclusion Ireland supports people with an intellectual disability to become peer advocates and facilitates a number of peer advocacy groups.
Citizen Advocacy -
Advocacy can also be provided in a non-paid capacity. The main difference between citizen advocacy and representative advocacy is that the relationship in citizen advocacy is long term and the time is given freely.
Recent Advocacy Developments:
Inclusion Ireland has produced a number of advocacy publications. These include:
A Guide to Advocacy;
A Code Of Practice for Inclusion Ireland Advocates;
Advocacy Plan (this is based on the advocacy commitments in our current strategic plan)
Click on the document name to dowload
Previous Inclusion Ireland Advocacy Projects:
The two advocacy projects funded under the Citizens Information Board Community and Voluntary Programme and operated by Inclusion Ireland have now come to an end. One of these projects provided an independent advocacy service to people with an intellectual disability living at St. Joseph’s Intellectual Disability Services, Portrane, Co. Dublin and the Sisters of Charity of Jesus & Mary, Moore Abbey, Monasterevin, Co Kildare. The other project involved providing an advocacy service for people with an intellectual disability and challenging behaviour living in the North East. People living in these services and areas will now be able to access independent advocacy from the new the new National Advocacy Service, which is funded by the Citizens Information Board and will be operated by Citizens Information Centres
Inclusion Ireland has received funding from Genio to introduce a pilot Citizen Advocacy project in a residential service for people with an intellectual disability in south county Dublin. Details on previous projects are attached at the links below:
Links:
News:
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