UPDATE: what 'Advocacy' when no common-sense/respect?

All about caring
1

The Advocacy Service for Carers in our area have been taken over by another company. I phoned them and asked to speak to the Senior Advocate just before Christmas, she encouraged me to phone back in the New Year after they’ve been give their Remit for our area. I phoned today, and asked to speak with this Senior Advocate as she sounded understanding enough - at the time. The call handler refused saying she only deals with open cases. I explained everything, was asked if I wanted to be referred. My response was I needed to check a few things before deciding. Was still refused, even after stating how their attitude was making me stressed. Still was refused.

So I tried a web-chat, got through to a Duty Advocate, who gave me parrot style whatever. I politely stated I needed to speak with their Senior Advocate and provided my mobile number and left it at that. Still nothing. So I phoned again, asking to speak with someone in charge. They put me through to this same Duty Advocate. I asked the same thing, that I needed to speak with their Manager, she asked if it was about a Complaint; so I said yes and provided my mobile phone number - had to repeat it as she was such a numbskull. I know nothing good will come of it, as they record phone calls - for their own protection more like.

Incredible. I was assured by this Senior Advocate late last year that all their Advocates are ‘very well experienced’. They’ve proven the complete opposite - no respect, no understanding, no sensitivity, no consideration for providing a proper Service (according to their own website); more like a Dictatorship.

2

Definitely complain again.

3

Thing is Thara you get sick and tired of complaining, the amount of problems with advocates I have had, I could write a book well probably 2 books.
The advocate should be on your side but immediately come up with rules that they can’t do this and can’t do that.
But these are advocates to resolve issues, The tagline on these advocate websites, “we will not stop until your issue has been resolved”.

The reality is they probably have only 10 hours allocated to each case AFTER you have waited for months for the advocate in the first place.
The Advocates won’t help with Social Services complaints, or with solicitors which would take months and months or help with debts.

The reality is that they come to see you have a chat, go to the advocate manager who says hum haa, we can’t do anything.

And when you complain about advocacy you should be allocated an advocate to help you with the complaints, it was buried deep in the terms and conditions of the advocacy service.

So I was refused Advocacy but then still needed advocacy, the advocacy service should have provided an advocate to help me complain about the advocacy but couldn’t find one.

I wrote to the trustees, never received a reply, I also wrote to the advocacy manager who did nothing, next step is the CEO and her smiling face on a well known internet site.

Unpaid carers just don’t have time to fight the very services that should be helping you.

Frequently these staff seem untrained, don’t understand the advocacy rules and the Care Act so how can they provide advocacy.
I was in fact allowed advocacy as an unpaid carer but was REFUSED advocacy, how can you work with someone who refuses you advocacy and then phones up and says sorry we made a mistake you are allowed an advocate after all.

I think some of my carees need advocacy for life but advocacy provided is for a very short time, supposed to refer you to the places that can help but my carees advocacy was ended, nothing was resolved.
The amount of meetings I had to attend with my carees as there was no advocate available.

Also a large amount of errors in the Needs assessesment that was carried out with my caree, if I had been there, I could have helped, but I was refused access to these meetings, the Data Protection Act ,whereas I should have been involved but that’s another story.

My carees advocacate should have fought all the way for my caree who was very ill, The advocate should have fought for CHC, but the advocate had probably not even heard of CHC.
Perhaps I am being unfair but I referred my caree to the advocacy service, and they did basically nothing.

Anyone had any good experiences, has advocacy resolved your caree or unpaid carer issues?

4

So this Senior Advocate emailed me, where she stressed me out so much with what she wanted to discuss, even though she initially emailed she was eager to discuss my initial Complaint. So I’m having to go through the official Complaints process, like I’ve not got enough I’m juggling.

Where do these people who claim to provide ‘Advocacy’ get off? When all they are, are total morons, in expecting me to go along with their conveyor-belt system mentality, when it doesn’t help me one bit, and gives them total sway in manipulating me?

I’m sick of ‘services’ taking it upon themselves being dictators.

5

You have to be referred by Social Services to be an open case. I understand your frustration, but that’s probably their procedure so they can get paid. My own advocacy funding was cancelled without telling me, which is one of the things the Ombudsman is now investigating.

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Thing is it all takes time to be referred through social services, weeks, months when issues need sorting out straight away.
How long should it take, my caree honestly waited almost a year for advocacy.

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8

Going round in circles with the so called senior advocate, who eventually sent me details of their Complaints Procedure; which is the filling in of a form. What sort of organization not only causes problems even before they have clarified what their Remit is by the Local Authority, or provided an Advocate; but has a FORM to fill in as part of their complaint?

Beggars belief the bureaucracy they insist on, where their only focus is in forcing people to jump through hoops. Their website gives the impression they promote Human Rights. But are actively denying me up to now any respect of being heard. Trouble is, they have all sorts of Advocacy in my area, including ICA - Independent Health Advocacy that is finishing shortly at the local Health Watch. So how can they claim ‘Independent Advocacy’; when it’s blatant they are restricted by bodies that fund them? I had lots of problems with the previous Advocacy Services, caused never ending problems; as they were qualified Social Workers who colluded with the unscrupulous one my Mum had at the time.