Scottish Government

A MAP OF INDEPENDENT ADVOCACY ACROSS SCOTLAND

LANARKSHIRE ADVOCACY

NHS Lanarkshire

There are two local authorities within Lanarkshire NHS Board area:
North Lanarkshire Council,
South Lanarkshire Council.

Advocacy Planning Process

Planning of advocacy in Lanarkshire has to date been co-ordinated by the Lanarkshire Advocacy Planning Group, chaired by a senior planning officer of Lanarkshire NHS Board. It comprises representatives from the two local authorities, the primary and acute Care Trusts, Lanarkshire Health Council, Lanarkshire Community Care Forum and representatives of the North and South Lanarkshire Advocacy Forum.

The recent decision of North Lanarkshire Council to jointly fund with NHS Lanarkshire an advocacy development worker post, to co-ordinate the advocacy planning process within its boundaries, has drawn into sharp focus the widely differing approaches of the two local authorities with regard to advocacy. South Lanarkshire Council felt it unnecessary to establish such a post at this stage, preferring instead to invest in direct service provision, as its officers felt the planning and commissioning of advocacy could be exercised sufficiently through the existing statutory mechanisms, as work had already been undertaken on scoping the needs for the service.

As a result, the joint planning partners, together with the pan-Lanarkshire Advocacy Planning Group are now considering how best to progress in a way which best suits the differing needs and approaches of the two areas with regard to planning advocacy.

Following internal discussions within their own local authorities, the two respective commissioning officers have suggested that it looks likely each area will want to plan for advocacy separately in future. This might mean either a limited or non-existent role for the wider pan-Lanarkshire Group. As with other areas, the Group is reviewing its own links into the relevant strategic implementation groups, so that it can maximise its influence. It will be important to ensure that mechanisms are in place to ensure that there is a strategic overview of independent advocacy development which ensures equity across the whole of Lanarkshire.

Advocacy Organisations in Lanarkshire

Project details

• Not independent (managed by Age Concern)
• Professional Advocacy
• Older people (over 65)
• People living within Larkhall and Lanark areas (South Lanarkshire), or people who originate from those areas and live in either North or South Lanarkshire
• Partial evaluation by ASA Jan 2003

Project details

• Independent
• Professional, and citizen
• People with mental health problems, including dementia
• North Lanarkshire

Project details

• Independent
• Young people with a learning disability attending Glencryan School, North Lanarkshire

Project details

• Independent
• Collective
• People with mental health problems resident in Hartwoodhill Hospital

Project details

• Independent
• Group and self-advocacy
• Adults with a label of learning disability
• North Lanarkshire
• Evaluated by ASA in December 2002

Project details

• Independent, but also provides advice and information
• Pilot citizen advocacy scheme
• People with disabilities
• North Lanarkshire

Project details

• Independent
• Collective
• People with learning disabilities
• South Lanarkshire

Project details

• Not Independent (managed by Enable)
• Professional, volunteer and group advocacy
• People (over 16) with learning disabilities
• South Lanarkshire, but not including Rutherglen and Cambuslang

Project details

• Independent
• Professional and Citizen Advocacy
• Adults (aged 16-65) with mental health problems
• South Lanarkshire, including Rutherglen and Cambuslang

Project details

• Not independent, as it provides advice, information and support
• Professional and collective advocacy
• Independent status to be confirmed
• Young people who are in/have been in care
• North and South Lanarkshire

Also, funding has been granted for a development worker to co-ordinate advocacy planning in North Lanarkshire. 20,000 from North Lanarkshire Council, 11,000 from NHS Lanarkshire.

North Lanarkshire Council has committed 50,000 to mental health advocacy, which is to be allocated once it is decided how it will best meet the requirements of the new Mental Health Act.

Lanarkshire NHS Board have committed 9,000 to fund advocacy in South Lanarkshire for older people in 2003/04.

Greater Glasgow NHS Board have also agreed 16,000 as joint funding for an advocacy worker for older people in Rutherglen/Cambuslang, whilst the contribution from South Lanarkshire Council towards older people's advocacy in Rutherglen/Cambuslang is 15,000.

It is not clear from information submitted, which advocacy providers are to be the recipients of these additional sums.

Funding has also been committed by South Lanarkshire Council for older people in East Kilbride, Hamilton/Blantyre (30,000) but the provider has yet to be agreed.

Total Statutory Funding for Lanarkshire Advocacy in 2003/4

*Does not include money for the development worker post in N. Lanarkshire, nor additional funds cited for mental health and older people's advocacy, as the providers have yet to be confirmed. Does not include funding for Who Cares? Scotland, as its independence status has yet to be agreed.

Gaps in Independent Advocacy

• Individual (short term) advocacy in North Lanarkshire for people with learning disabilities
• Children, young people and their carers (although advocacy is provided for looked after children and young people by Who Cares? Scotland, and in North Lanarkshire for children with learning disabilities through Funky Blue Smurfs)
• People with acute and chronic health needs, including the terminally ill and their carers
• People with physical disabilities, particularly in South Lanarkshire
• Frail older people, including people with dementia
• Homeless people and other 'hidden groups' not included in current community care categories
• Current advocacy providers need to be supported to ensure that their services are accessible to people from Black and ethnic minority communities

Priorities for Development

• Further development of services for frail older people and people with dementia
• Advocacy for children and young people
• Additional resources for Hartwoodhill Patients Council
• Further investment in mental health advocacy, in preparation for the Mental Health Act
• Support for non-independent advocacy agencies to become independent, or for these services to be re-provisioned
• Commitment to 3 year funding across the board
• Commitment to independent evaluations for all agencies
• Programme of training and awareness raising on advocacy for all statutory staff
• Review of the roles of the recently established North and South Lanarkshire Fora, following the separation out of the previous pan-Lanarkshire Advocacy Forum
• Housing and Education Departments to be included in ongoing advocacy planning process

Conclusions

In general, independent advocacy within Lanarkshire has developed apace since the publication of the last Map. All funding partners are to be commended for having invested significant additional resources to advocacy.

As for the planning process, it is clear that this is being given careful consideration. Although the Lanarkshire Advocacy Planning Group has consistently involved users and advocacy agencies through the pan-Lanarkshire Advocacy Forum, concern has been expressed that consultation and communication need to be cast wider, so that users and agencies not represented on the Forum are able to input also.

The review of the advocacy planning arrangements in Lanarkshire, together with the development of North and South Lanarkshire Advocacy Fora, should address this.

Finally, the commitment of Lanarkshire NHS Board and North Lanarkshire Council to fund a development worker, to identify unmet need, co-ordinate the planning of advocacy, and to support the advocacy forum in North Lanarkshire, is an exciting development, which is likely to provide useful learning for other areas. For this reason, and especially to ensure that the post is providing best value, it will be necessary to monitor and review its impact closely.