What is advocacy?

CCP's Advocacy Service provides vulnerable people with a VOICE to ensure that their needs and wishes are made known, their views respected and their rights protected. This is a free and independent service.


“Advocacy helps you to have your say in what happens in your life. Advocacy is supporting you in speaking out about what you need.” (Action for Advocacy – the Advocacy Charter).

We deliver:

  • Substance Misuse Advocacy
  • Family and Child Protection Advocacy
  • Children's and Young People's Advocacy
  • Transitional Advocacy for young people moving into Adult Health & Social Care services


What can an advocate do?

An advocate can take action to help you to:
  • Say what you want and make sure your voice is heard
  • Secure your rights and exercise your freedom of choice
  • Represent your interests
  • Obtain the services you need
  • Regain or retain personal dignity and independence
  • Gather information you may need to help you think about your choices
  • Make sure you are involved in decisions affecting your life
An advocate will not tell you what to say or make decisions for you. Advocacy is not a counselling, mentoring, advisory or befriending service.

What can a Substance Misuse Advocate do?

  • Inform of recovery based options available
  • Assist service users in accessing recovery oriented services and appropriate treatments
  • Act as a gateway to further services

If you are not sure if your issues could be helped by an advocate, please call the free phone number to discuss with an advocate.


How to access the CCP Advocacy Service:

You can call us on 0800 644 6448 (free from landlines and mobiles).
A referral form for Substance Misuse and Family/Child Protection Advocacy is available by clicking on the Referral Forms icon at the bottom of the page.

Testimonials:

“I was provided with advocacy to help me move forward and stand on my own two feet. Many thanks.” J.N.
“I feel the work was dealt with in the right way. The advocate was always very polite and understanding and got the things done that I needed help with and passed on the information to myself very clearly, so I could understand the feedback.” P.C.
“The advocate has been helping me out so well that I have grown in confidence and feel more sure of myself. I know where to go if I need help and depending on the nature of the issue feel that I have more confidence and knowledge to deal with it.” M.M.