Call free on 0800 644 6448  

"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).

Advocacy is about working together with your Advocate to get people to listen to your views. We believe that your voice is important, so your Advocate won’t tell you what to do.

Your Advocate can help you to
• Say what you want
• Make sure your voice is heard
• Find information
• Think about your choices
• Get the services you need
• Make sure you get what you are entitled to

Your Advocate can work with you on issues that may affect the following areas of your life
• Quality of life
• Health
• Choice and control
• Economic well-being
• Personal dignity
• Issues around discrimination, harassment or disempowerment
• Independence (in the home or the community)

Your Advocate will not
• Give you advice or choose for you
• Take other people’s sides
• Provide counselling, befriending or care services

Who is it for?
CCP’s advocacy service is free for
• Older people
• Adults with physical or sensory disabilities
• Adults with mental health disabilities or dementia
• Adults with learning disabilities

Our aims
• To put you first: We will ask you want you want and work with you to achieve it
• To empower you: We will help you to speak up and have your say.
• To provide a non-judgemental service

You can access the CCP Advocacy Service in 2 ways:

1. You may be referred to our Advocacy Service by another professional, such as a social worker. You could also refer yourself by calling 0800 644 6448 or by visiting one of our Drop-in centres, or by calling into Cheltenham 1st Stop.
Once we have your referral, we will arrange for an Advocate to meet with you to talk about the best way to work with you. You can meet the Advocate in your home, at our drop-in or at another place that we agree is suitable. At the meeting you and your Advocate will complete some paperwork and decide what to do next.

2. You can access our services through one of our drop-in centres
You can go to one of the drop-ins to talk to an Advocate about an issue you need help with. The Advocate may be able to help you there and then, or they may make an appointment to see you at another time to go through things in more detail. They may also arrange for you to meet another one of our Advocates.
Our Advocates also run groups at the drop-ins. These groups are to help you to work though issues that affect lots of people in the group. You can work together to support each other or to take action. Our Advocate will work with the group.
This service is operated in partnership with Gloucestershire County Council, who run a drop-in service 5 days a week for adults with learning disabilities. You can ask for a leaflet about the drop-ins.