Scottish Government

A MAP OF INDEPENDENT ADVOCACY ACROSS SCOTLAND

FIFE ADVOCACY

There is one local authority within Fife NHS Board area:

Fife Council

Advocacy Planning Process

The Fife advocacy strategy group is responsible for co-ordinating the Fife Advocacy Plan, through its constituent members who include representatives from the Health Board and Trusts, the Local authority and a range of advocacy agencies, and mental health service users from collective advocacy groups.

The Strategy group has organised a number of consultation events, including a focussed session in March 2003, to ascertain what the priorities for advocacy planning and development should be. One important element of planning which the group has committed to, is the need to link its work into other client-specific strategic decision making groups across health, social work, education and housing departments.

Advocacy Organisations in Fife

Project details

• Independent
• Volunteer crisis and citizen advocacy
• People from 16 years old upwards with learning disabilities
• West Fife
• Independent evaluation using CAPE tool in May 2000

Project details

• Independent
• Collective advocacy
• People with a disability
• West Fife

Project detailsIndependent

• Professional, volunteer and collective advocacy
• Adults (over 16) with mental health problems or dementia
• Fife, including support to a number of patients councils.(Stratheden; and Queen Margaret)

Project details

• Independent
• Self-advocacy
• Older people
• Fife

Project details

• Independent
• Self-advocacy
• Older people
• Fife

Project details

• Independent, user led
• Collective advocacy and support for individual self-advocacy
• People with learning disabilities
• Five groups throughout Fife

Project details

• Independent, user led
• Collective advocacy
• People with mental health problems
• Fife

* Funding granted on a six-monthly basis

Project details

• Not independent (managed by Central Fife Association for Mental Health)
• Collective advocacy
• People resident within Whyteman's Brae psychiatric hospital
• Receives no funding

Additional Investment

• Fife NHS Board have earmarked additional monies towards advocacy for 'minority groups': 10,000 for FRAE Fife to manage a development worker for ethnic minorities; 10,000 towards older peoples' advocacy provision; and 10,000 towards advocacy for children and young people
• Fife Council has allocated a further 64,000 for Central & East Fife to employ 2 development workers to undertake community development to establish a network of interested individuals in each area, who will assist with the provision of citizen advocacy for people with learning disabilities.

Total Local Statutory Funding for Fife Advocacy in 2003/4

Gaps in Independent Advocacy

• Vulnerable children and young people
• Individual advocacy for people with physical disabilities and acute health care needs
• Homeless people and people affected by addictions

Priorities for Development

• Additional funding for mental health advocacy (including collective advocacy at Whyteman's Brae)
• Investment in advocacy for children; increased provision for older people; people with learning disabilities and ethnic minority citizens
• Commitment to 3-year funding agreements
• Investment in ongoing programme of independent evaluation
• Strategy of education and awareness raising on independent advocacy among statutory service provider staff
• Public profile for advocacy
• Housing and Education Departments to be included in ongoing advocacy planning processes

Conclusions

One of the main strengths in the development of advocacy in Fife is the commitment of NHS Fife and Fife Council to investing in and supporting collective advocacy and capacity building, particularly among people with mental health problems; learning disabilities and older people. This is evidenced in the resources allocated to Patients' Councils (through Fife Advocacy); to People First, and to the Fife User Panels, and Fife Elderly Forum. It is also apparent in the ongoing series of consultation events, and in the attempt to involve users in the formal advocacy planning group. If users are continually supported to express their views, and these are taken account of, this will go a long way towards the development of advocacy services that are responsive to need.

Of course, this intention needs to be underpinned by sustained financial resources. Therefore, the pending allocation of 30,000 from NHS Fife is most welcome. 10,000 of this will go towards the recruitment of a Development Worker (who will be employed by Fairness, Race Education and Awareness Fife) whose remit is to develop the capacity of existing advocacy organisations in Fife to be more accessible to users from Black and ethnic minority communities. The other 20,000 will be split between individual advocacy for older people through the Fife Elderly Forum, and the development of children and young peoples' advocacy. Similarly, the additional funds that have been invested by Fife Council in the development of citizen advocacy for people with learning disabilities in Central and East Fife are to be welcomed. The community development model which is being used to get this service off the ground, should hopefully ensure that the advocacy provided there closely responds to local needs and has the full involvement of the local community.

There are also significant opportunities to learn from and build on the work being done by Fife Children's Rights Strategy Group. This should pave the way towards independent advocacy being developed for children and young people in Fife. If sufficient money is set aside for this purpose, the Fife Advocacy Planning Group will have achieved the two main priorities outlined in its last advocacy plan.

On a separate note, there is widespread evidence that the advocacy needs of people with mental health problems are not being met; this is of serious concern. For instance, there are excessively lengthy waiting lists, even for detained patients. This will need to be addressed urgently if the Health Board and local authority in Fife are to meet their statutory obligations in relation to advocacy under the Mental Health Act, which is due to be implemented between October 2004 and April 2005.

Also, it is disappointing that there has been no statutory commitment to investing in independent evaluations of advocacy agencies in Fife. Having said that, the statutory planning partners in Fife have shown considerable commitment to independent advocacy, in the significant increase in provision from 2002/03.

The advocacy planning group is to be congratulated for contributing to this achievement.