CONSULTATION ON INDEPENDENT ADVOCACY – GUIDE FOR COMMISSIONERS
Advocacy has an important role to play in supporting people to express their views. This consultation seeks view on a revision to the Guide for Commissioners last published in 2010. The Guide has been updated to reflect Commissioner's statutory responsibilities for the provision of independent advocacy.
Appendix 2
Identifying and minimising conflicts so interest
| Situation |
Impact? |
What action could be taken to m minimize any conflict? |
|---|---|---|
| A service user approaches an advocacy organisation because they want support to make a complaint. The complaint concerns an individual who is employed by a large national organisation that hosts* the advocacy service. |
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| A person with a learning disability has used a service from a care providing organisation in the past. That organisation now also has an advocacy project. The person needs an advocate. |
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| An advocate is supporting a person who wants to change their home support from their current provider but doesn't know what options are open to them. The advocate works for an advocacy project hosted by an organisation that has contractual links with other home support providers in the area. |
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| A woman with dementia is getting a good home support service from a care providing organisation. The organisation also provides advocacy. The woman's son would like an advocacy worker to start working with his mother while she is still able to express her views and wishes. It turns out that the only suitable advocacy service in the area is managed by the same organisation that provides the home support service. |
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| An organisation that supports children and young people is involved in the Multi-Disciplinary Team that assesses patients for admission to the local Child & Adolescent Mental Health Service Unit. This organisation also provides advocacy. |
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| The carer or the young carer is supported by their local carer organisation and is content with the support. The organisation also provides advocacy. The carer/young carer reaches a crisis/emergency situation with a potential for breakdown in the caring situation. Who should provide advocacy? |
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| A collective advocacy group is supported by an advocacy worker who is employed by an advocacy project, which is linked to a large organisation which also provides care services. The collective advocacy group is campaigning for changes to local services that may impact on contracts held by the parent organisation*. The parent organisation has a consortium agreement with a number of other agencies in other areas. The proposed changes to local services may have impact on other consortium members. |
*parent or host organisation = an organisation that employs and or manages the staff of a discreet project
Question 4. Do you think it is useful to highlight situations (such as those given in Appendix 2) that commissioners should be mindful of in order that consideration is given to how these would be avoided/handled/resolved?
Yes No
Are there any others you would add/remove?
We would welcome your thoughts on what the impact of each of these situations would be and also your views on what action should be taken to minimise conflict. We will consider the responses and add as part of the guidance.
Contact
Email: Sandra Falconer
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