An advocate helps people with health and social care needs to express their needs and wishes, and to weigh up and make decisions about options available to them. Advocates can help people make sure correct procedures are followed and challenge decisions made by Councils, health services and other relevant health-based organisations.
Advocacy helps to protect human rights and plays a critical part in safeguarding. The advocate will represent the person's interests, which they can do by supporting them to speak, or by speaking on their behalf, including when the person is unable to instruct the advocate. Advocacy can help people to:
- understand their situation and rights
- prepare for meetings
- communicate with staff and services
- explore their options and choices; and
- access relevant support
What do we provide?
City of Wolverhampton Council commission the independent charitable organisation POhWER to deliver advocacy services to eligible adults.
POhWER provides free, confidential, and local support via trained professionals and volunteers to individuals struggling with particular challenges in their lives. People supported include those who experience disability, vulnerability, distress, and social exclusion.
POhWER’s website contains more information, downloads, and resources.
Accessing the Service
To access the service a referral is required. To make a referral for advocacy services in Wolverhampton please visit POhWER’s website and complete a referral form.
If you are not sure whether you can get an advocate, or for more information, advice and support in your area, please contact POhWER.
Advocacy services delivered in Wolverhampton
Independent Mental Capacity Advocacy (IMCA) - including Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS) and Relevant Person's Paid Representative services (RPPR). This is a statutory advocacy service to support vulnerable people who lack capacity and need to make important decisions but have no representatives as defined under the Mental Capacity Act 2005.
Independent Mental Health Advocacy (IMHA) - IMHA is a statutory service for qualifying patients subject to the Mental Health Act 1983 (amendment 2007), either in hospital or in the community, helping them to understand and exercise their rights and to be involved in decisions about their care and treatment.
Care Act - This is a statutory advocacy service to help people with substantial difficulty to be involved in Care Act Assessments about their care and support needs and safeguarding processes, and there is no one appropriate and available to support and represent their wishes. Social Care staff will refer people to POhWER for this service. Care Act advocates can support:
- Adults who need care and support
- Carers
- Children who are moving to adult care services.
Wolverhampton Health Advocacy Complaints Service (WHACS) - is a statutory advocacy service for people wishing to make a complaint about care or treatment they have received from the NHS.
Parents Advocacy (Pilot) - is a non-statutory service for parent/s identified as having a learning disability, mental illness or substantial difficulty which means that the parent finds it difficult to:
- Read written reports
- Understand the nature of the concerns and risks
- Retain information shared
- Express their views and ask questions of professionals
This advocacy service is available to eligible parent(s) whose child(ren) has a Social Worker and is subject to Child Protection Procedures, or the child is subject to a Child in Need Plan.